Bad Moon Rising
by xxLuAshxx
Summary: Robyn is a rogue werewolf whose parents were killed when she was young. Raised by Luke and the Frays, Robyn has lived undetected in the Shadow World for eighteen years, keeping the secret from Clary and her friends. But what will happen when she has to help Clary in the Shadow World, and who is that mysterious, dark-haired Shadowhunter who won't stop getting under her skin? Alec/OC
1. Concealed

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'The Mortal Instruments' or its characters; they belong to author Cassandra Clare. I do however own my OCs that will be featured in this FanFiction.**

 **Warning: Yes, this FanFiction is based off the TV series and it may seem very much alike to begin with, but when things start to develop it will take it's own twists and turns, so please don't judge too early!**

 **Also for the purposes of the story, Alec is straight.**

 **Happy reading!**

* * *

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, ta-

"Simon."

-p, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, t-

"Siiimon."

-ap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, ta-

"Simon!"

He jerked slightly as if coming out of a trance, and snapped his eyes to mine.

"Hmm? What?"

"You need to calm down. At the rate your fingers are going you'll be playing the drums, not singing."

"Sorry," he closed his fists and crossed his arms over the table, "I'm just…I'm just nervous."

"I think Clary's supposed to be the nervous one."

"No, I know. It's just that-" he pushed his round glasses further up his nose, "she's worked so hard for this; she deserves it."

"I know, but trust me, she'll be fine." I leaned back in my seat as Simon grabbed his iPod and began flicking through it. I looked at the big clock on the wall behind the counter. 3:15…her interview should be over by now. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little bit anxious for her – she had wanted this all her life and Simon was right, she deserved it.

"Did you hear? They've found another one of those bodies." My muscles tensed where I sat and my eyes scanned the room, looking for the source of the conversation.

"No, you're kidding?" I spotted them in the corner. A man and woman sipping on large mugs of coffee. They were dressed quite well with blazers and small suitcases and I tried to focus, honing in on their voices, trying to shut out the rest of the murmured conversations and clinks of cutlery around me.

"Nope. Early this afternoon apparently." The woman continued, stirring milk into her cup, "There was a body found outside the water towers. Police have sealed it off of course."

"This is what now? The sixth?"

"Seventh." She raised the mug up to her lips, "The police don't even have any leads."

"Yet." The man said. The woman shrugged, "How do they know it's the same killer?"

"The body they found was like the others – drained of blood." I frowned and pulled my arms tighter across my chest. It was against the law for vampires to kill mundanes, but even so to leave the corpses out for people to find... As repulsive as they were, vampires were normally careful, cautious creatures, so what on Earth would have possessed one to be as sloppy as this?

"Give me the professors' names and I…I will end them." Simon stood up and I snapped my gaze to a sad-looking Clary who I hadn't notice sneak up beside me. Now that she was here, her mango scent was overpowering and I shook my head slightly. I needed to remember to keep my senses alert at all times. Clary gave Simon a look.

"You know, with…with a scathing email to the dean." He flustered.

"Don't bother." Clary said as she pulled off her bag and slumped down beside me. I gave her a gentle rub on the back, a little deflated. I could have sworn she would have aced that interview. She threw a letter down on the table in front of Simon before shooting me a small look of thanks. Simon took the letter and looked down at the folded page.

"Whaaat?" he grinned. He turned the paper towards me and in big red letters stood the words 'CONGRATULATIONS!' Simon put the letter down and nodded approvingly at Clary as I retracted my hand from her back

"The sad face, really?" Clary giggled, "Well played, well played." They did their over-the-top fist bump.

"Thank you." Clary smiled and I sighed.

"I really hate you." I said and she giggled again, throwing her arms around me.

"I'm sorry – but the looks on your faces was worth it." I rolled my eyes but couldn't help smile along with her.

"Yeah, it's weird." She said, pulling away, "They kind of liked my assigned work, but they flipped out over the drawings for our graphic novel." She placed a hand over her folder.

"May I?" I asked and she pushed the folder over. I made sure the shock slapping through me did not play out on my face as I saw pencilled and penned runes all over the folder, the marks of Shadowhunters. How long had this been going on? Did Jocelyn know about this? Did Luke?

"You're welcome." Simon pointed and Clary laughed. My fingers traced over the art, not really knowing what to do.

"This day will go down in history as the greatest eighteenth birthday I've ever had."

"Which is why we are celebrating tonight. Yes, with Maureen after our show."

"Absolutely." I was vaguely aware of something being placed in front of me, but my eyes and fingers did not leave those drawings. Panic was beginning to swirl inside my mind. Her memories couldn't be coming back, could they? No, that was impossible. Jocelyn entrusted a warlock to take those away permanently. Clary was a strong person, but even Shadowhunters are no match for warlock magic.

"Hey, are you OK?" Clary asked, placing a hand on my shoulder. I inhaled deeply and smiled.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I put the folder down, "Just caffeine deprived." I pulled my mug closer to me.

"Sooo, what's the deal with you and Maureen?" Clary asked, turning back to Simon. She took her hand off my shoulder and picked up her biscotti. Simon paused, his lips inches away from the rim of his mug.

"What deal? No deal." I smirked as Simon's face began to flush red, "We sing together."

Clary frowned, "You seriously don't know she's been crushing on you this whole time?"

"What? No…no." I took a sip of my coffee, still glancing down at those drawings.

"Simon, how can someone as smart and perceptive as you not realise that, the person sitting right there is in love with you?"

Simon stared at her for a moment and I held my breath. It was no secret that Simon was in love with Clary. Ever since they were little he would bend over backwards and do anything to make her happy.

"I can guarantee you I'm not the only smart, perceptive person to make that mistake." I glanced up at Simon, feeling a little awkward with the intensity he was gazing at Clary with, but she seemed completely oblivious, instead offering him a small, pitying smile. She looked down at her mug and frowned.

"That's a latté." Simon said, breaking the tense silence that had ensued.

"But I could have sworn I had a biscotti."

"Maybe you ate it really fast and didn't even notice. Happens to me all the time. When I'm happy, when I'm sad." We laughed, "But I will replace your mythical biscotti with an actual one." He handed his over to her.

"Thank you." She giggled.

"Hey, what about mine?" I cried in mock outrage.

"You ordered the regular coffee – that should be punishment enough." He remarked and I stuck my tongue out at him.

"You know what? Here's to you." He said, raising his mug to Clary. We all joined in clinking them together and took log sips of the hot drinks. As she put hers down, Clary glanced at the table and then tilted her head curiously at the surface. Following her gaze, I had to hold back a jump as a biscotti, the same shape and size as Clary's, was etched into the table.

"And that's a table." Simon said, grinning as Clary looked back up at him. I watched her closely, waiting for her response, but she merely shrugged and continued drinking. Looking down at the biscotti, I began to get a heavy feeling in my stomach. Like Clary, I knew that she hadn't eaten her biscotti and got the uncomfortable feeling that the etching on the table was more than just an etching. I toyed with the idea of stepping out to phone Jocelyn, but the last thing I wanted to do was draw attention to anything wrong. Jocelyn had spent Clary's whole life protecting her by hiding her from the Shadow World, and the least I could do was keep up the pretence of normally.

"So, what songs are you thinking about performing tonight?" I asked, driving everyone's thoughts away from certain sweet treats.

"Ah, if I told you that, I'm afraid I'd have to kill you." Simon winked.

"Let me guess – you're going to do indie covers of some pop chart songs?" He choked on his drink.

"How do you know that?"

"Because that's what you've been doing for the past two years."

"No we haven't!"

"Clary?" I turned to the red head who bit her lip and turned to him.

"You kind of have, Simon."

"No we haven't. OK, how about that time we did that cover of 'Smooth Criminal'?"

"Yeah, and what did the manager say to you after that?" He sulked down into his mug, staring into it.

"Don't come back." He mumbled. I grinned and Clary laughed.

"Well if it makes you feel any better I think our hearing's recovered now." Clary sipped on her latté, staring coyly at Simon from her mug.

"Oh ha ha." He said sarcastically. The rest of the conversation was filled with guesses as to what songs Simon and Maureen were going to perform, and although we apparently didn't get any, Simon's heartbeat raised slightly every time we mentioned One Direction.

"OK, so I'll meet you guys back at Clary's house in an hour?" Simon reiterated, hugging both of us, "There's some stuff at my place I've got to get."

"Sure." Clary smiled.

"And please, _please_ don't forget your fake IDs." I rolled my eyes.

"We won't." We parted ways outside the café and Clary and I began the short walk to her house.

"You know he's going to tweet about this, right?" I asked.

"Oh, I've already got a notification from it."

"Ooh, you want to be alerted every time Simon tweets?" I nudged her playfully in the shoulder.

"It's not like that," she rolled her eyes, "Simon's my best friend."

"So am I, but you don't have an alert for every time I tweet."

"You don't even have Twitter."

"Still, I'm hurt." Clary sighed as he turned left to cut through the alley. As we walked, I inhaled foul smells like urine and sick mixed with alcohol, but there was something else as well. Something…not earthly.

"I hate this shortcut." Clary groaned, but my eyes were darting from left to right. Something had been here. I sniffed again and almost wretched. It smelled like death.

Demon.

"Let's hurry." I said, pushing her along slightly. Even if the demon wasn't here anymore, it was still too close to home for my liking. I sighed in relief when we approached the ivy covered plaque for 'GREENWOOD ANTIQUITIES' and the door plastered in protective runes and warlock markings of different shapes, colours and sizes. Of course Clary couldn't see this yet as she was still blind to the Shadow World. You can't see what you're not looking for.

"Hey Dot," Clary greeted brightly as we entered. I was always cautious going into this room – the full glass cases of goblets and jewellery and figurines always looked so delicate and fragile and I was scared that I'd accidentally break something. That, plus some of the antiques kept in here were made of pure silver. I shivered at the thought of them.

"Hey," Dot smiled, looking at both Clary and me. She was leaning over the glass counter playing with her tarot cards. I smiled and nodded back. I always liked Dot – she was kind, funny and helped me a lot when Luke or Jocelyn couldn't in my younger days.

"How's your future looking?" Clary put her bags down, glancing at the cards even though I knew she didn't really know what she was looking at. Dot seemed to know that too as her eyebrow kinked at the redhead as she leaned over the counter too.

"Not as good as yours," she smirked, "The tarot cards tell me you got into the Advanced Programme."

"And by the tarot cards you mean Simon's Twitter account?"

"OK, I follow him," she admitted. I looked into the case by the door and was freaked to see what appeared to be a shrunken head. Was it legal to trade those in this country?

"It turns out predicting the future with tarot cards is very complicated." She flipped over a couple of cards, "But I do see a birthday present in your future!" She leaned down under the counter and pulled out a large bag.

"Dot…" Clary sighed.

"OK, open it!" Dot squealed excitedly.

"Wow," Clary rummaged in the bag and pulled out a short tight black shirt.

"Yeah, you might wanna keep that on the DL cause your mom's my boss and I don't want her to flip out."

"Yeah but that's how I know it's cool." They laughed whereas I was stil eyeing up the little head. I could swear it was looking right at me, "You know you're way better at gift giving than magically predicting the future." I pursed my lips, trying to hold back a laugh and saw Dot shoot me a look out of the corner of my eye.

"Nothing magical about it," she said, turning back to Clary, "I just…buy the things I wanna wear. Happy birthday." They hugged.

"Thank you." But as they pulled away, Dot suddenly became serious.

"I love you Clary."

"I love you too…" Clary said uncertainly. Every nerve in my body began to stand on edge. Dot wasn't normally this serious…Something was wrong. "You OK?"

"Yeah…yeah. Happy birthday." She smiled, but I knew Dot, and that smile was forced. However, Clary was oblivious to it and smiled back her bright genuine smile, "Go up and see your mom." Clary turned and picked up her bags.

"Coming?" she called over to me.

"In a minute," I said, "I want to go over some final plans with Dot for the celebration tonight." I smiled, looking at Dot. Clary looked between us and nodded before climbing up the stairs to tell Jocelyn the news of her acceptance into Art school.

"What's going on?" I asked as soon as I heard the top door slam shut. Dot's face was nothing like it was a moment ago; it was grave. She silently walked past me and flipped the 'OPEN' sign on the door, shutting it behind her.

"They're coming." She said, eyes boring deep into mine.

"Who?"

"Circle members." The panic I felt about Clary's drawings earlier in the café was nothing compared to the panic I felt right now.

"H-How? How did they find…?"

"The protections that have hidden Jocelyn and Clary are breaking now that Clary has turned eighteen. They'll be able to be traced now – it's only a matter of time." My head was spinning and I took a deep breath, trying to wrap my thoughts around it.

"When are they coming?"

"My guess is they're already on their way." She said solemnly. She then walked over and placed her hands on my shoulders. Her eyes filled up my vision and I couldn't look away even if I wanted to, "Robyn, you _have_ to look after Clary. If something happens to me or Jocelyn tonight, you're the only hope she's got."

"But what about Luke?"

"Luke will look after you as best as he can, but he's known among Downworlders – you're not. His pack monitors what he does and where he is; you don't have that kind of trace on you. No one knows you exist, and you need to keep it that way."

I felt sick, "But would it…would it be easier if she knew?"

"Jocelyn is going to try and tell her now. As her mother she naturally wants Clary to stay here tonight so she can protect her, but you have to make sure Clary is away from here when they come. After you've had your fun, go straight back to yours and Luke's place." I shook my head.

"I'll come back. I can fight-"

"No." Her fingers squeezed my shoulders tighter, "No. Jocelyn and I have a plan. Your top and only priority is to keep Clary safe."

I looked into Dot's deep warm eyes and felt a wave of pain go through me. Dot was like my second mother after Jocelyn, and if anything were to happen to her I don't know what I'd do. But she was right – Clary was the key to all of this, and if I was her only hope then I'd do everything in my power to make sure she was safe.

"OK." I didn't recognise the small voice that passed my lips and Dot pulled me into her chest.

"I love you Robyn. Never forget that." She stroked my hair and I had a hard time trying to choke back the sobs that wanted to rack over my body. I inhaled her apple scent, committing it to memory, "And remember just because you're not related to us by blood, doesn't mean you're not part of our family." She pulled away and stroked my cheek.

"I love you too." I said tearily. She placed a gentle kiss on top of my forehead and stood back.

"Now go, and remember what you need to do." I nodded and took a moment to compose myself, wiping the small tears on the sleeve of my jacket before heading up the stairs to the flat. When I opened the door, I found Jocelyn sat at the kitchen counter, head in her hands.

"Jocelyn?" Her head snapped up and I could tell by the red in her eyes that she'd been crying. I strode over to her and wrapped my arms around her.

"Oh Robyn," she cried into my jacket. I hushed her soothingly, stroking her hair as Dot had done to me only minutes ago.

"Where's Clary?" I asked. She pulled away.

"Getting changed in her room." She sniffed. I went to grab a tissue when I saw the silvery glint on the table.

"Is that-? Did you-?"

"It's my birthday present to her." She took the tissue from me and I continued to watch the stele's box warily. I had heard of the powers steles contained and the stories of what they could do.

"Did you tell her?" She shook her head.

"Not yet, but she needs to know." She gripped my hands suddenly, "You need to cancel tonight."

"I can't."

"Robyn, you don't understand. It's not safe-"

"For Clary to be here. I know about what's coming."

"What? How-?"

"Dot told me." She sighed and wiped her eyes before grabbing Clary's rune covered folder off the table. She lightly traced the design with her forefinger and seemed to be deep in thought, gazing off out of the window.

"Hey, sorry I'm late. Captain's got me on those demonic murders." A deep voice said behind me. My anxiety was momentarily forgotten.

"Luke!" I grinned, throwing myself into his arms.

"Hey kiddo." He chuckled, wrapping his big arms around me, "You alright?" I nodded into his chest and squeezed him again, "Woah, careful – don't break me."

"Oh please," I snorted, pulling away, "I couldn't break you even if I tried."

"No, probably not." He grinned. He walked over to Jocelyn, placing the newspaper and a bag down on the counter.

"Look at the drawings." She said, sliding the folder over to him. Luke looked down, "It's already happening."

"We both knew this time was coming." He said. I shuffled over to them, "We'll tell her together."

"No," Jocelyn shook her head, "It was my choice; I'll do it alone."

"Alright. Well do it soon. If she's unprepared, your life is in danger. And so is Clary's." He gave me a serious look.

"Dot already told me." I said.

"Told you what?" Clary piped from behind. I spun around on the spot and smirked.

"Oh, just what Luke got you for your birthday."

"Hey, no fair!" She grinned, strutting over to us. I noticed she was wearing the top Dot had bought her under a thick green hoodie…this girl had no sense of fashion at all.

"Hey Luke, what's up?" She greeted brightly.

"Hey! Incredible drawings." Luke gestured to her folder and it was as if the tension had suddenly disappeared for a moment.

"Oh thanks."

"And I got you these." He reached into the bag and pulled out a colourful box, "Spray paint."

"Oh they're perfect!" Clary breathed, pulling the box closer to her.

"If I catch any of that paint on city walls, I will arrest you." He turned to me, "Both of you."

"I'm offended." I huffed and Clary giggled.

"The paint is for Simon's van." she reassured, "I'm insisting they rename the band."

"Oh yes please," Jocelyn sighed and I giggled.

"Yeah," Clary agreed.

"Did your mom talk to you about that?" Luke pointed to Clary's pocket. She looked down and I instinctively drew closer to Luke as she pulled the silvery stele out of her hoodie. Luke's fingers brushed against the back of my hand behind the counter, reassuring me that I was safe.

"The heirloom? Yeah, it's beautiful." Jocelyn glanced up at Luke and me.

"Clary," Luke began, and I tensed up, "you're eighteen now and-"

"What is _with_ you guys?" Clary asked, cutting off Luke. She looked at me as if I had the answers, "I'm turning eighteen. It's not like I'm headed off on some epic journey."

"But you are!" Simon cheered from behind Clary. Damn, I really needed to learn to focus on my surroundings – I didn't even hear him come in! "See, we are going to Lombardy's to celebrate your birthday after our gig."

"You should come back here after." Jocelyn suggested, glancing at all three of us, "The city's not that safe right now."

"Oh, thanks mom but we're set." Clary said, picking up her spray paints.

"Yeah we will take a rain check." Simon backed away, but then stopped, "Wait…do I smell chicken cacciatore?" Jocelyn smiled and held up her hands in surrender.

"Simon, your gig?" Clary said, grabbing his wrist.

"Oh, you're singing?" Luke said.

"Yes. Big gig. And by 'big', I mean 'not so'." Simon and Luke laughed as Jocelyn enveloped Clary in a hug.

"Uh, losing circulation here." Clary wheezed and for a split second I wanted to scream at her. She and Jocelyn were in so much danger right now and all she wanted to do was go partying. If it wasn't for my promise to Dot, I would've made her stay. Luke must have sensed my irritation as he placed a hand on my lower back, calming me.

"Breakfast. You and me. Tomorrow. Promise?" Jocelyn said firmly, still constricting Clary.

"Yeah. Mom?...Uh, mom?...Mom, you have to let me go; I'm biologically and legally an adult."

"Yeah," she whispered, letting her go, "That's what I'm afraid of." She played with Clary's red hair for a moment before Clary turned to Simon.

"Shall we?"

"Yes," He replied, grabbing the spray paint. Clary jumped on his back.

"You coming Robyn?" she called over her shoulder.

"Yeah sure, just give me a sec."

"We'll be in the van!" Simon yelled and they headed out of the door. I sighed and turned to Jocelyn and Luke.

"Just let her be a kid, for one last day." Jocelyn said to a stern-faced Luke.

"OK." Luke nodded.

"She'll be safe with me," My gaze switched between Luke and Jocelyn, "I promise." Jocelyn regarded me for a moment before fiercely pulling me into a hug.

"Look after her tonight," she whispered into my ear, "And please look after yourself too." She pulled away and stroked my dark hair, "I wasn't lying when I said the city isn't safe right now. Not just for me and Clary, but for you too. There are very few people that will take kindly to a rogue wolf, especially at such a young age. You may be eighteen but you're still a vulnerable target."

"I understand." I said. She smiled sadly at me and kissed my cheek before allowing Luke's arms to take over.

"You know how to reach me if you need to." He murmured into my hair, "You remember your training?" I nodded, "Good. But only use it if you must. Call me if you think anything's wrong. Even if it's just a niggling feeling. Trust your instincts."

"I will." He kissed my head and I squeezed him harder than I ever had before. I thought Jocelyn was going to have to pry me off him but somehow I found the strength to pull away. Luke was everything to me; he was my mentor, my friend, my brother, and my father. He was there for me when no one else was. He raised me, a scared, young, lost wolf pup, as his own. I would be forever in his debt, and if anyone dared try to hurt him I would tear out their throats and rip their hearts from their chests.

I walked towards the front door and looked back at them one last time before making my way downstairs. Dot was nowhere to be seen and I avoided the glass cases as I made my way outside. I stood still for a moment, listening and watching for anything out of the ordinary.

"Come on Robyn!" Clary called from the back door of Simon's van ugly van which was parked at the end of the road, "I have a change of clothes and makeup for you here!"

I did one last look around before walking over to the van which was filled with laughter and blaring music. I took a deep breath and plastered a smile to my face as I jumped into the back next to Clary, slamming the door shut behind me.


	2. Found

"My mom is so overprotective lately."

We had picked Maureen up from her place on the way here, and because we had in fact arrived half an hour early, Clary had decided that it would be a good idea for me to change now so we could go straight to the club after Simon and Maureen's gig. Thus here I was, applying light lipstick in the back of the van whilst the others were sat on the roof. If I was a mundane, I wouldn't have been able to hear anything, but my heightened senses allowed me to hear anything within a two mile radius if I focused hard enough.

"So do you remember in Aliens when the alien queen was defending her eggs from Ripley?" Simon teased, and I couldn't help but smirk a little. Out of all the analogies he could have used, that was probably the most accurate one.

"And in this scenario, is my mom Ripley or the alien queen?" Clary asked.

"Both."

"What?" Maureen piped.

"A mother defending her young!"

"Defending me from what?" Clary wondered and I paused in my movements. Simon was a very perceptive person, especially for a mundane, and if he knew something he shouldn't- "I spent all day at an art studio. My life couldn't be more…mundane." The lipstick in my hand broke at Clary's word choice. It _could not_ have been coincidence that she'd used that particular word. I lightly brushed my fingers over the phone in my pocket. Luke said to call for even the smallest thing…

"Besides I really don't know much about when she was young." OK, she definitely needed to hear this from her mom. Asking questions to the wrong people would get the wrong people involved. I pulled out my phone.

"Just do what I do and get all the dirt from your relatives." Maureen said.

"Yeah well I would if I could, but she doesn't have any. And my- my dad died before I was born."

"So you have no one? No uncles, no aunts, no third cousins twice removed…?"

"No. Just me and my mom." Oddly enough, Clary's tone seemed unbothered…Maybe this wasn't as big a thing as I was making out? I let my phone slide back into my pocket.

"It's why the Lewis clan has added three chairs to every cadre since preschool; one for Clary, one for Jocelyn and one for Elijah." Simon explained.

"Of course."

"Yes, obviously."

"Obviously." As they were making light of the situation, I assumed the subject had been dropped and I breathed a little easier.

"You guys don't think that's a little bit suspicious?" Damn you Maureen, "You not knowing anything about your family? Your mom could be hiding some deep dark secret." I needed to stop this conversation now. Clary shouldn't try and find out like this.

"Maureen, it's not possible." I shoved the makeup back in the bag, deeming myself decent enough for clubbing.

"No, no, think about it-"

"No seriously. My mother is incapable of concealing anything from me." I snorted as I made my way out of the van. No Clary, she's only hidden a whole other world from you for eighteen years.

"But Clary, your mom could be-"

"Hey guys, what do you think?" I said loudly, walking around to stand in front of them. Clary had picked out some dark blue tight jeans, small black boots and a sleeveless turtleneck black top. Over it I had thrown on my tan leather jacket, even though I didn't really feel the cold as much as mundanes did. I had done my makeup light, but still noticeable enough to see that I was wearing some.

"Wow girl, you look smoking!" Maureen cheered and I laughed, not at the compliment but at the fact that I'd successfully averted her attention.

"Thanks." I smiled. Clary gave me thumbs up and Simon stuttered with, "You look great."

"What time is it?" I asked and Simon glanced at his phone.

"Shoot! We're on in five!" He scrambled down from the van, "Let's go!" He helped Clary and Maureen jump down and we all helped lug in the equipment through the back entrance the café. It was quite a good turnout considering Simon and Maureen were unheard of and a few people lingered by the entrance, coffees in hand. Clary and I helped attach wires and amps before taking a seat on the large sofa in front of where Maureen and Simon were playing. Simon started strumming his guitar and I recognised the chords for Lady Gaga's 'Bad Romance'.

"He looks good with a guitar, no?" I wiggled my eyebrows at Clary. She just shook her head and rolled her eyes. They went through a couple more songs (they were actually really good), before wrapping things up with One Direction's 'Forever Young'.

"One Direction; called it." I whispered to Clary and she grinned. As Simon started singing the chorus, I noticed that his heart was beating faster. Looking up at him, I saw that he was looking straight at Clary. No, not just looking at her, but _singing_ to her. This song was from Simon to Clary. But once again, Clary was completely blind to Simon's affections for her. Maureen's heart was also beating fast, but it had done so ever since they began the gig. That girl really was in love with him, and I just hoped I wouldn't be there when the whole love triangle blows up. They finished the song and were met with applause and cheers. Simon shared a smile with us and Maureen before everything died down and the general chatter of café goers escalated.

"You guys killed it!" I squealed, hugging Simon and then Maureen.

"Thanks," she smiled, although she seemed a little sad. I cocked my head slightly, asking her what's wrong and she merely jerked her head in Simon's direction. Simon who was talking animatedly to Clary. I gave Maureen an understanding smile and began helping her pack away.

"Thanks for being our roadies." Maureen grinned as we loaded the last amp into the back of the van. I could have easily carried it one handed over my head, but had to keep up the pretence of weak, helpless mundane.

"Yeah, and thank you Clary for being our artist in residence." Simon said, stripping off his shirt and changing into one more stylish for clubbing.

"Of course," Clary smiled and I smirked slightly as I saw her staring for a little too long at his six-pack.

"So," she began, tearing her eyes away, "you went on stage tonight as 'Champaign Enema'." Simon and Maureen shared a look before laughing slightly.

"What were we thinking, right?" Maureen giggled.

"But now," Simon announced dramatically, "We're 'Rock Solid Panda'." I burst out laughing.

"Yeah we are!" Maureen cheered. Clary rolled her eyes but smiled.

"'Rock Solid Panda' coming up." She grabbed one of her cans of spray paint from the back of the van, "I'm feeling inspired." She began shaking it and made her way around the side of the van.

"Paint," Maureen said.

"Paint." Simon grabbed Clary's paint box and threw an arm around my shoulder, leading me to where Clary was. She looked at her steel canvas for a moment before beginning her work.

"Why don't you tell her how you feel?" I whispered to him. He looked at me from the corner of his eye.

"You don't think I've tried?"

"You're being too subtle with her." I watched as Clary ducked down, curving more paint onto the van, "You need to just say it as it is."

"Oh right, I'm supposed to just say, 'Hey Clary, I don't know if you know this but I've been in love with you since kindergarten.'"

"Yes." He opened his mouth to-

"Can you pass me the blue please?" Clary asked and Simon obliged instantly.

"You're so whipped," I grinned as he stood back next to me. It was getting dark out now, and there were a lot of people walking in and around the club. I wandered over towards the front of the van and saw the club's name 'PANDEMONIUM' in large neon pink letters. However, it flashed to reveal 'DEMON' constantly, and I became a little on edge. I closed my eyes and focused in my senses. The heavy thrum of the music beat into my eardrums, and there were several groups of mundanes laughting and drinking. I inhaled a deep breath, but there was too much alcohol, sweat and smoke around for me to smell anything. I wasn't as practiced as Luke was at this.

"What's that tag?" Simon asked. I opened my eyes and turned back to my friends, approaching the van.

"Weird." Clary said, "I didn't even mean to draw that." There, on the side of the van, was a large blue rune, similar to one of the ones Clary had drawn on her folder. I swallowed, the feeling of unease hitting me again.

"Second time today." She handed Simon her spray can and he took it to the back of the van. Clary continued to stare at the rune and I moved a little closer to her, watching for any signs of remembrance or epiphany.

"You know they have confirmed cases of people waking up in the morning speaking French?" Clary looked at Maureen with wide eyes, "And they never even started the language."

"You think that's some kind of language?" Clary asked, gaze turning back to the rune. Maureen shrugged.

"Sanskrit maybe?" She walked to the back of the van to put away the other paints with Simon and I went to stand next to Clary.

"You alright?"

"Yeah…" she said, not taking her eyes off the symbol.

"Maybe you saw it in a film or something?" I said, trying to make her forget about it for a while, at least until Jocelyn told her the truth tomorrow.

"Maybe…" she said, but she was still gazing at the rune. I opened my mouth to move on the topic when-

"Robyn, can we grab you for a sec?"

"Sure," I replied, giving one last look to Clary before strolling to the back of the van, "What's up?"

"Can you help us lift this? One of the cans rolled under it." Maureen rolled her eyes and gave a pointed look at Simon.

"Hey, it wasn't my fault!"

"Now now children, if you can't play together nicely then you can't play together at all."

"Who are you calling children?"

"Well technically I'm the oldest, so…" I grabbed the amp with both of my hands and lifted it up just enough to make me look mundane.

"Oh really? Playing the age card again?" Simon said, supporting the lifting.

"Hasn't worn out yet and never will." I winked. Maureen shoved her hand under the amp to find the can-

My knees jerked as the smell of rot and death hit my nose. Luckily, Maureen had extracted her hand with the missing spray can before I dropped the amp back onto the van floor. The scent was so potent and foul…

Demon.

And I think…I think it was the same one I smelled in the alley earlier, outside Clary's house.

"Hey, can you watch where you're going?" I heard Clary snap at someone and as soon as I looked around the door at her I wanted to run as far away as possible.

There, stood in front of Clary, was a Shadowhunter.

I had never seen a Shadowhunter before; only heard stories from what Luke had told me. The only way I could tell he was one was because of the runes tattooed over his skin, and the fact he was dressed all in black. His blonde hair was brushed back from his head and he looked completely astonished at the fact that Clary was addressing him. He must have had his glamour on, but this only panicked me more as he must have known that Clary could not possibly be a mundane if she could see him. He stepped closer to her so that she had to look up to keep eye contact with him.

"You can see me?" He asked, brow furrowed and staring her down. However, she didn't falter.

"Yeah that's…kind of the point but you obviously didn't see me." Clary said. I didn't know what to do. Part of me wanted to rip her away from him and protect her, part of me wanted to phone Luke, part of me wanted to run, part of me wanted to attack him.

"You have the Sight?" he rephrased. I clenched and unclenched my fists and the blood in my veins rushed to my head.

"Wait, the what?"

The Shadowhunter stared hard at her for a moment, shaking his head, "How can I not know who you are?" Simon and Maureen had both noticed Clary speaking too, but of course they would only see Clary speaking to thin air in front of her. Simon's face screwed up in confusion.

"Has that line seriously ever worked for you?" Clary asked unimpressed, "Even once?"

"Jace!" A male voice called from somewhere in the crowd, and the Shadowhunter's head snapped around to its invisible owner. Damn, so there was more than one of them. I had spent eighteen years avoiding detection and I was not about to be caught on this night. As 'Jace' looked back at Clary, he caught sight of us three and I made sure to make my face just as confused as Simon's to make it look like I was a mundane. Satisfied that we were just human, Jace looked back at Clary again before taking off somewhat distractedly into the club, looking back at Clary again. Although he was out of sight, I wasn't sure how many of them there were, so kept up the pretence in case one of them was watching. Clary walked over to us, arms crossed over her chest and disgusted.

"Can you guys believe that blonde dude?" She asked, leaning against the van.

"You mean the imaginary dude you were talking to?" Simon asked, limply rolling up his over shirt sleeves.

"No, the guy right there, running into the club." She nodded at him and I pretended not to see the black-clad figure running in between the crowd.

"Clary, there's nobody there." Maureen said.

"The guy covered in tats, like-"

"What guy are you talking about?" Simon laughed nervously.

"You guys seriously don't see him?" Clary looked at me and I shook my head.

"No," Maureen said, sounding aggravated. Clary paused, looking at each of us in disbelief.

"OK could you stop making me feel insane? Please?"

"Could you stop acting that way?"

"Clary, what was in your latté?" Simon asked. Clary gazed at the spot where Jace had disappeared into the club.

"Maybe you're coming down with something?" I suggested, "Do you want us to take you home?" There was no way I was letting her into the club with Shadowhunters on the prowl. Their presence only spelled trouble. I promised Jocelyn, Dot and Luke that I'd look after Clary and that's what I was going to do, even if it killed me.

All of a sudden, Clary unzipped her hoodie and walked forward.

"Where are you going?" Simon asked and Clary threw her hoodie at him.

"To get some answers."

"Remember your fake ID sucks!" Simon called but before I could grab her wrist she was already running into the club.

"Clary- Damn it!" I growled, running in after her. Even at the entrance her scent was already beginning to mix in with other more potent scents, making it almost impossible for me to track her. It wasn't helping that several drunken mundanes were blocking my way and I had to keep zigzagging around them. My fake ID must have been good enough as the bouncer allowed me in, and I rolled my eyes at the mundane's lack of sight.

Inside the club the beats were heavy and loud, pounding into my skull. My sensitive hearing wasn't used to such a loud noise as this was the first time I'd ever been to a club. Blue and white lights strobed and flashed around the large room and on the far left the bar was lit up like a Christmas tree. This sudden assault to my senses disorientated me for a moment and I weaved in between grinding bodies, trying desperately to pick up on Clary's mango scent that I had grown accustomed to. But again it was being masked by too many other putrid scents. The mundanes nudging into me were annoying me, and my temper wasn't great right now, so I made my way to the bar where it was less crowded and where it was lighter. I leaned against the bar and scanned the crowd with my eyes. Clary's hair was quite a unique shade, and so I hoped I'd be able to spot it before someone else did.

"Hey Rob!" Simon suddenly clapped me on the shoulder, Maureen tight by his side.

"Have you guys seen Clary?" I shouted, but both shook their heads.

"I'm gonna get us birthday drinks – you want one?" Simon yelled. A flash of red hair caught my eye and Simon tapped me hard on the arm.

"Yeah sure, whatever!" I waved him away. I made my way around the dance floor, still close to the bar to avoid people, and continued scouting for that red hair. Once again I tried to hone in my senses, hoping to find that red hair, that high voice, that mango scent…but instead I faintly caught another scent. It was sweeter than Clary's, almost like…strawberries mixed with white chocolate. It was beyond doubt the most exquisite scent I had ever come across. It was heavenly.

I shook my head; now was not the time to get distracted. Clary and I were in danger, and I needed to find her and get her out of here as fast as I could.

"Well, well, well. Looks like a stray has found its way into my humble abode." I spun around quickly and came face-to-face with an Asian man. He was dressed in a navy blue satin suit that looked expensive, and was covered in a variety of different jewels. His black hair was pushed up off his face and his heavy lined eyes were dusted in glitter. I held up my hands subtly as to not draw attention to myself.

"I'm not looking for any trouble." I assured the man. He tilted his head, staring at me in curiosity.

"Oh but my dear, I believe trouble is looking for you." I took a step back but he followed, taking one towards me, "Oh please, I never said you were any trouble my dear. I was merely stating how refreshing it was for one of your kind to show themselves around here. Unlike those horrid Circle members I've just expelled from my establishment." He smiled. I knew from the looks of him he must have been a Downworlder – he would never get away with dressing like that in the mundane world – but I wasn't sure what species he was. "I must say, I thought I knew all the wolves around these parts, and yet I believe I've never seen nor heard of you before… To whom is it I am speaking with?" The indecision must have shown on my face as the man laughed lightly.

"Oh you adorable thing you. You really are a little lost puppy." He pouted, "Allow me to introduce myself." He took my hand and kissed it, "Magnus Bane, at your service."

Something snapped within me, like a sudden unsprung coil.

"Magnus… _You're_ Magnus Bane?"

He bowed his head again, smiling. I had heard the stories of Magnus Bane; the most powerful warlock in the Shadow World. Luke had spoken of his greatness and sometimes of his extracurricular…activities.

"Charmed, I'm sure. And you are…?" But before he could get an answer, a sharp force banged into him from behind, knocking him into me.

"Sorry!" Someone squeaked, and I immediately grabbed her wrist.

"Clary?" The redhead looked up at me, shaking and with tears in her eyes, "Clary, what's wrong?"

"Oh Robyn, oh thank God!" She pulled her wrist out of my grip and instead slid it to hold my hand, "We have to get out of here. Now!"

She began pulling me through the crowd and I turned back to Magnus who watching us both with wide eyes and a look of astonishment. And in the next second we were swallowed up by the crowd, sweaty bodies bumping and shoving into us. I was vaguely aware of Simon calling after us in the sea of people, but Clary was too shook up to notice.

"Clary, what's going on?" I yelled, keeping a firm grip on her hand.

"Quickly, this way!" We beat our way through the crowd and made it to a large steel door. Clary pushed on the bar and it opened, fresh cold air slapping our faces. Clary continued to pull me down the stairs, shoving me into the back of a waiting taxi.

"Drive!" She breathed as she shut the door behind us and the driver accelerated at full speed.

"Where to?" he asked. I looked at Clary but she was covering her face with her hands, still shaking. I know I'd promised Dot that I'd take her straight back to Luke's, but he was working nights at the station tonight, and I couldn't handle Clary on my own. I didn't know what she had seen or what had happened, but with Shadowhunters, Circle members and demons around, the possibilities were endless, and my mind was going down all the ugly routes.

"Greenwood Antiquities." I said. He nodded and I wrapped an arm around Clary.

"Clary, you need to tell me what happened." I said seriously. She just shook her head and continued shaking, "Clary. Please."

"N-Not here." She whimpered, peeking up at the driver who was glancing at us suspiciously in the rear-view mirror, "Can you just…hold me?" I nodded my head and continued to hold her as the taxi sped through the streets of New York. I tried to soothe Clary with hushed and murmurs and although she quietened down, I could still tell that whatever had happened Pandemonium had spooked her big-time.

"Here." I said, throwing cash as the driver as he pulled up outside Clary's house. She practically kicked out the door and sprinted up the steps.

"Clary! Clary!" I shouted after her. I had no idea if the house was secure or not. Had Circle members come already? Had they left? Or worse, were they still here?

I ran after Clary, who was surprisingly fast as she raced up the stairs to the flat above. Everything in the shop looked untouched and as neat as ever, so it looked as though nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Mom!" I heard Clary cry from upstairs. I took them two at a time and sped into the room, prepared to attack any intruders. But I skidded to a holt when I saw the image of Jocelyn embracing a crying Clary. She looked up at me over her daughter's head.

"She won't tell me what happened." I said exasperated. Jocelyn pulled Clary away and held her at arm's length.

"Clary." She said clearly, "Clary, I need you to tell me what happened."

"I…" Clary shivered, "I-I don't know."

"Yes you do otherwise you wouldn't be so shook up. Here," She led her over to the sofa and sat down beside her, "Now start from the beginning." Clary sniffed and was silent for a moment, gathering her thoughts.

"It…it started outside of the club."

"Which club?"

"Pandemonium." I answered, and Jocelyn's eyes flashed.

"I…I was painting Simon's van when I drew another one of those symbols again, only this time I didn't even know I was drawing it. And then this blonde guy bumped into me, only these guys couldn't see him." She jerked her head over to me. Jocelyn looked up at me and I nodded.

"He was completely covered in tattoos, but like weird tattoos. Anyway it freaked me out that Simon, Maureen and Robyn couldn't see him so I ran after him." Clary stood up and began pacing, "I followed him through the club into the back room and when I got there the blonde guy pulled out a sword on this woman and I ran and pushed her out of the way. Then the blonde guy pushed me back and this body builder guy came over to me and then these creepy tentacles seemed to come out of the body builder's face and- and then the guy just…vaporized. I mean, I was drugged, right?"

Jocelyn looked over to me again and we locked eyes for a few seconds.

"OK, why do you two keep looking at each other like that? What's going on?" Clary demanded. Jocelyn sighed and looked back at her.

"What did the markings look like? On the blonde boy you were talking about."

"Who cares, Mom? Ok are you even listening to me? I think I killed a guy!"

"Clary," Jocelyn pulled out her stele and stroked it over her left wrist, "Did they look like this?" A burned rune appeared on the skin there and Clary gasped and stepped back, horrified.

"Mom, what the…?" She looked over to me and then back at Jocelyn who stood up. Jocelyn looked over to me and I nodded in encouragement – it was time Clary knew the truth. She inhaled a deep breath and turned to a frightened looking Clary.

"Everything you saw tonight has a meaning, and an explanation, and I've dreaded having this conversation with you since the day you were born-"

"What is going on?" Clary whispered desperately, "Am I- Am I going insane?"

"No, you're not." Jocelyn reassured her, "But the protections are wearing off. You're eighteen now and you need to know the truth."

"Protections? What does that even mean? Mom you- Mom you're scaring the hell out of me!"

"I know and that's why I've put this off until the last possible minute-"

"Jocelyn!" Dot suddenly ran into the room, out of breath, "Look out the window; Magnus called to warn us. They've found you."

"No…" I breathed and my blood froze as Jocelyn ran to the front window. Dot and Clary both looked over at me; one with determination, one with complete and utter fear.

"Dot, it's time." Jocelyn ran back to the centre of the room, "OK listen to me; you cannot be near me, either of you." She said, shooting me a look as she ran past towards the chest of drawers in the corner of the room.

"What's happening?" Clary asked.

"I got a very powerful person angry."

"That's a bit of an understatement, don't you think?" I said. Clary looked between me and her mother as she rummaged through some more drawers.

"What did you do?"

"I hid something from him, and his followers."

"Followers? Mom why can't we just call the police?"

"The policeman you need to call is Luke." She grabbed Clary and threw a necklace around her neck, "Keep this with you, and think of me when you wear it."

"Mom this is not the time for a birthday gift – what the hell is happening?" She was beginning to border hysteric. Dot was suddenly beside us and held out a green bottle to Jocelyn.

"Only if you need it." She said and Jocelyn nodded, taking it from her. Dot then strode quickly over to the windows as Jocelyn grabbed each of our arms.

"Trust your instincts." She said firmly, eyes darting between both of us, "You're both more powerful than you know." She looked between us again, "And Clary, you need to trust Robyn, no matter what." Clary looked at me.

"What?" She looked between us, "Mom, I need to understand what's going-"

"Dot, open it." Jocelyn commanded and I watched as Dot raised her right hand, blue vapour pouring out of her fingers. The windows opened inwards and a purple mist hung in between the space where air should be.

A portal.

"Everything I've done," Jocelyn said, pushing us over to the portal, "every mistake I've made was because I love you more than words." She spoke directly to Clary and I looked over at Dot who gazed back at me, deep sadness in her eyes.

"Mom, what are you doing-?"

"Luke and Robyn will explain everything. They'll hide you."

"Hide me-?"

"From the Circle. They're the only ones you can trust – trust no one else."

"Mom I don't underst-"

"Where's Luke now?" She snarled, mad eyes turning to me.

"Police station." I answered immediately.

"Remember, I love you." She cried. Clary kept calling for her before she suddenly disappeared into the mist behind her. Jocelyn then turned to me.

"You have to look after her!" She yelled over the growing noise of the portal. I could hear the smashing and shattering of glass downstairs, "Clary is the key to everything. Without her, the world as we know it will fall." I nodded and turned to the portal, but Jocelyn's hand clamped down on my shoulder.

"Tell Luke what happened, and remember that even though you're not blood, I love you as if you were my own daughter." My sight became blurry as tears filled my eyes.

"Jocelyn-"

"Go now!" she pushed me backwards into the portal and I saw one last glimpse of her tear stained face before darkness consumed me.


	3. Pride

**Just an FYI: Robyn in my story looks like Emily Browning in 'The Uninvited' – just to help your imaginations if you need it!**

* * *

There was a loud bang and I was thrown against some lockers, slumped down next to Clary. My eyes spun for a moment as they tried to reattach to my brain.

"Ugh, that's the last time I use one of those damn things." I growled, rubbing the sore spot on my temple. We were in a corridor which I immediately recognized as the police station. Clary hissed, rubbing her wrist, "You OK?"

"I-I think so," she flexed her fingers slowly, "What was that thing?"

"Portal." Heels clicked against the cold tile and I looked to my right, seeing Captain Vergas making her way up the stairs towards us.

"Clary? Robyn?" she said, frowning at the two of us on the floor.

"Captain Vergas," Clary breathed as we scrambled up, and I had to hold back a wince as a sharp pain shot through my spine.

"It's two in the morning; what are you doing here so late?" She came to a stop in front of us, eyebrow raised. Clary opened and closed her mouth like a goldfish, her eyes darting between me and the Captain.

"Luke said he'd drive us home," I said and both pairs of eyes snapped to me, "If he was still here."

"Still doesn't trust those cabbies, huh?" The Captain smirked and I shook my head, "Well he's in the middle of an interview. Could take a while."

"Cool, well…" Clary grabbed my hand, "We'll wait in the cafeteria." She began to pull me along.

"Hey," we stopped and turned back to the Captain, "is there some sort of problem?" She looked between us, "Guy trouble?" Clary opened her mouth.

"Yeah," I cut in, "Something like that." Her eyes narrowed, darting between the two of us but she nodded, releasing us from her interrogation. We moved down through the corridor, towards the cafeteria and I waited until the clicking heels sounded out of sight.

"This way," I whispered, towing Clary back down the stairs the Captain had come up. However, after I took the first steps, I threw an arm out in front of Clary, making her stumble into me.

"Hey, what the-"

"Shh!" I hissed. The foul smell was very potent here, and the hairs standing on the back of my neck pricked. Something was here, in the building. A low growl rumbled deep in my throat.

"R-Robyn?" Clary whispered. I had to get her to Luke.

"Clary," I growled, eyes searching every dark corner and crevice I could find from where we stood, "Go find Luke."

"But-"

"No Clary, listen to me. Luke is in his office; go straight to him. Don't look at or talk to anyone else. Only Luke, got it?" The scent was not fading at all…it was still here.

"Robyn? Robyn you're scaring me." She grabbed my arm and spun me around, only to open her mouth in horror.

"Y-Your eyes…Robyn your eyes!" she choked, but I gripped her arm and pushed her away in the direction of Luke's office.

"Go, now!" I snarled. Tears filled her eyes but she complied, turning on her heel and running down the steps towards Luke's office. Turning back to the matter at hand, I let another warning growl rip out of my throat.

"Show yourself." I stalked down the dark corridor, poised and ready for any threat. Luke's training came rushing to my mind and I prepared myself both physically and mentally for the Change I may have to trigger. I glanced at the sky outside, seeing my reflection in the glass. My normal green eyes were now a sparking electric blue. There was a bang behind me and I spun instantly, crouching into an attacking position. Growls continued to rip out of me and my eyes flashed dangerously. There were fast footsteps approaching me and I locked into place, ready to strike-

"Robyn?"

"Luke?" I shot up from my crouched position as the broad man came into view, striding up the corridor towards me. His pine scent comforted me as I ran and crashed into him, burying my face in his chest.

"You alright?" He asked, pulling me at arm's length.

"Yeah. I just- Wait, where's Clary?"

"Clary?" He frowned, "I thought she was with Jocelyn?"

"No, the house was attacked." His expression darkened, "Dot sent Clary here with me; I told her to find you." I suddenly got a sick feeling in my stomach, "I-I smelled a demon around here."

"It wasn't a demon, it was Circle members. And they were with me." I frowned; I could have sworn it was demon…My eyes widened.

"But then…Clary…?"

"Robyn, I haven't seen Clary since this afternoon, before Simon's gig…" My chest plummeted through my stomach.

"Oh no…"

"Where would she have gone?" Luke's eyes bored into mine, hands shaking me slightly.

"Um…back to her house?" Luke nodded.

"Right, stay here."

"What, no." I grabbed his wrist as he moved around me, "I'll go."

"Robyn-"

"Luke, right now I'm pretty sure I'm the only person in both worlds that Clary trusts. And besides you've got your pack's trace on you, I haven't. The last thing we need is for them to get involved." He looked deep into my eyes, still unsure, "Luke, I can do this. Trust me." He sighed.

"I know you can." I let go of his wrist, "Get Clary and take her straight to our place. I'll draw off the pack and meet you there in an hour." I nodded before taking off down the corridor towards the exit. I understood that Clary was scared, but damn it I told her to find Luke! Didn't she listen to Jocelyn at all? Didn't she realize how much danger she was in right now?

Outside the rain was pouring down in buckets. Great, because rain would really make it easier to track Clary. Her home was the only lead we had right now, so that was my first port of call. I began sprinting across the lot and took the back alleys around through town, running faster than any mundane. It would have been a lot faster to change into my wolf form but I didn't want to draw attention to myself in the Shadow World. The rain plastered my wet hair to my face and my clothes were beginning to get soaked through, slowing me down a fraction. I took the usual left down the alleyway to Greenwood Antiquities and paused for a moment. The front door was bashed in, wood splintering across the steps in front of the entryway. I strode through, taking in the smashed glass cases and shards dusted all across the wooden floor. Tears filled my eyes at the thought of Dot and Jocelyn fighting for-

There was a loud, high-pitched scream from upstairs.

"Clary!" I ran as fast as I could up the stairs, heart racing as that putrid smell at the police station came back to me. I knew I'd smelled demon and not Circle members. It must have followed Clary from there.

Kicking open the door, I saw Clary cowering against one of the pillars with a grey, ugly demon looming over her. Its mouth had stretched into a scream, sharp teeth extended at her. A loud, animalistic roar tore out of me and both the demon and Clary turned, her eyes wide. I crouched low, preparing to strike the demon when suddenly it screamed, a white blade protruding from its chest. The shriek was loud, almost deafening and the fiend vaporized in orange and yellow sparks, revealing the blonde Shadowhunter from the club…Jace? Clary and I both stared at the hunter, Clary in shock and me in caution.

"What? No 'thank you' for saving your life?" He asked, staring at Clary. He took a step towards her.

"Don't touch her." His eyes flicked over to me and he blinked as if only just seeing me for the first time.

"You…" He said, "You saw that?" I rolled my eyes.

"Of course I did." He looked between Clary and I.

"You have the Sight too?"

"Not exactly." He seemed to regard me for a moment before taking another step towards Clary, and I couldn't help the warning growl that surged from my throat. His eyes immediately snapped back to me, widening slightly and I knew mine must have changed colour again. Damn it.

"You're a werewolf?" I sighed and nodded, "But earlier, you couldn't-"

"I was pretending." He went to open his mouth again but Clary's knees suddenly buckled. I moved towards her but Jace caught her just before she hit the ground.

"Clary!" I said in alarm.

"Careful," Jace said, cupping one of her cheeks and looking into her eyes, "That demon got a piece of you."

"Shit," I murmured, seeing the red stain on Clary's shoulder.

"Demons?" she repeated.

"Yeah. What do you think that miserable disgusting thing was?"

"I, um, I thought it was Dot." Her eyelids were beginning to droop and her voice seemed to carry, as if she was far away.

"Clary?" I asked cautiously, moving closer to them. She was beginning to go pale.

"No," Jace said, still examining her face, "Ravenor demon. Shapeshifter."

"You're just saying words now." Her eyes were unfocused and her swaying was increasing, "Wh…Why is the room swirling?"

"Demon venom."

"Is that bad?" And she collapsed into his arms.

"Clary!" I went to help but Jace lifted her unconscious body up in his arms.

"I got you." He murmured to her.

"Is she going to be alright?" I asked, heart pounding. This was the second time I had failed at keeping Clary safe, and not only that, but she was now in the company of a Shadowhunter who didn't seem keen on letting her go.

"She will be, but I need to get her to the Institute." He headed towards the door but I stood in his way, blocking his path, "Move aside."

"I can't let you do that."

"We don't have time for this, wolf. If I don't get her to the Institute soon the venom will spread and she'll die." I hesitated.

"Fine, but I'm coming too." I clenched my jaw in determination, "I go where she goes."

"What? No." My eyes flashed dangerously at him, "Look, no werewolves or any Downworlder is allowed inside the Institute except for Shadowhunters-"

"And those that a Shadowhunter gives express permission to." I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Too bad you're not going to get it." He moved to pass me but I grabbed his arm.

"Look Jace-"

"How do you know my name?" He demanded.

"I heard it at the club, but that-"

"You heard Alec too?"

"Look! I swore to her mother I'd protect her-"

"And I can see you've done a fine job of that so far." I narrowed my eyes at his sarcasm and stepped closer to him.

"I swore to her mother, to Jocelyn Fairchild-" Jace's expression went from annoyed to serious within the blink of an eye, "-that I'd protect Clary in the Shadow World. She trusted me with this, and I'll be damned if I break that oath."

He looked deep into my eyes and I could see that he was conflicted about what to do. Even after all these years, Jocelyn's name still carried weight in the Shadow World, especially among Shadowhunters. He let out a sharp breath.

"Fine." He growled, "But if you do anything to jeopardize my people, I _will_ put you down."

"Glad we understand each other." I smirked. He shook his head and started striding out of the door.

"Keep up wolf; I'm not going to wait for you."

* * *

"A church? Figures." I muttered, craning my neck to observe the old, decaying church. It looked completely abandoned, untouched by life for years. I had to admit, it was a good cover. Jace continued forward, Clary still in his arms, and I went to follow him but was pushed back by an invisible barrier. I frowned and tried to step forward again, only I made no progress. It was like walking into a springy brick wall.

"Umm, excuse me?" I called over to him, but he kept walking, "Hey!"

Finally he stopped and turned towards me, impatience etched on his masculine face.

"What?" I gestured to the apparent wall in front of me and he rolled his eyes. He kneeled down, balancing Clary on one knee with his hand as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his stele. I fought the urge to back away from it, remaining as still as I could; I would not let him have any leverage over me. He dug the stele into the ground and it lit up for a moment before the light faded from it. He then shoved it back in his pocket, gathered Clary back in both arms and marched towards the stairs.

"Did that…? Can I-?"

"Just come on!" He snapped over his shoulder. I tentatively put one foot in front of the other and sighed in relief as nothing happened. You never know – he could have just planted a bomb there to get rid of me or something. I hurried after him, dead brown leaves crunching under my feet and ran up the stone steps.

"Do you mind?" Jace said, nodding towards the door. I grabbed the large handle and pushed it open, cringing at the loud creaking sound it made. A bright light shone into my eyes and I was momentarily blinded. I felt Jace brush past me, and I had to blink several times for my sensitive eyes to readjust to the sudden light.

When they came to, I was struck by the corridor we were in. It was so light and clean and open. There were benches and mirrors lined against the walls, keeping up the religious image, and the tiled floor clicked lightly under my boots.

"This way," Jace said gruffly, walking down towards the large room at the end of the corridor. I wanted to give myself a minute to take it all in – I never dreamed of meeting a Shadowhunter that wasn't Jocelyn, and now not only had I met one, but I was now standing in one of their bases. However, seeing Clary's limp body in Jace's arms snapped me back into reality, and I followed him quickly. We walked through the archway and came into a large room lit by white light…almost too white. It was apparent that this was the heart of the Institute as there was a lot of equipment spread around; computers, touch screen boards, weapons, tables with papers scattered over them.

"Wow…" I breathed, only just becoming aware of the stares of other Shadowhunters. Those that were initially working looked up at me from where they were and some even stopped in their tracks. I tucked my arms in a little closer to myself, becoming extremely self-conscious.

"Jace." A deep voice called out from the other side of the room. I looked towards the noise and saw two figures approaching us. One figure was shorter than the other with long, deep rich brown hair and tanned skin. Her eyes were dark, but she looked flawless in her tight black jumpsuit which was cut out around her waist, revealing some of the tattooed runes that marked her as a Shadowhunter.

As for the figure accompanying her, I had to do a double take. He was considerably taller than the girl, easily over six foot, and had a lean, strong looking frame. Like the girl, he too had dark, almost black hair sticking up, and was covered in runes, but he was a little more lightly skinned, and his eyes were a couple of shades lighter, more hazel than the girl's dark brown. His face was slim with high cheek bones and a strong jaw line. He wore black jeans, biker boots, and a black shirt covered by a leather jacket which was, yes, black. They were both young looking, around 20 years old like Jace.

As they strode towards us I clenched my fists. My instincts were screaming at me to defend as fast approaching figures were never a good sign, and just because one Shadowhunter was putting up with me didn't mean that others would too. I tried to beat down the animal, reminding myself that I was here for Clary and Jocelyn.

"What the hell is this?" The tall guy asked, coming to a stop in front of us. His eyes flitted from Jace to Clary to me and then back to Jace.

"Alec we don't have much time," Jace said desperately, "There's demon venom running through her veins and if we don't help her now she's going to die." Alec glanced down at Clary and his eyebrows furrowed.

"Mundanes aren't allowed in the Institution." He stated, "She can't stay here."

"She's not a mundane." Jace argued, "Please Alec just…I can explain later, but right now she needs help."

"Why is this one here?" He then asked, turning to me. I wanted to open my mouth to answer but no sound came out.

"I gave her permission," Jace panted, adjusting Clary in his arms, "Alec, my parabatai. Please?"

Alec and Jace stared at each other for what seemed like forever, almost like they were having a telepathic exchange which was only broken by Alec rolling his eyes.

"Fine," Alec huffed, "But I have to report this to the Clave."

"Not yet," Jace said and Alec opened his mouth to retort, "Later." He then turned to the girl, "Izzy, can you find us a room? I need to draw the rune on her." The girl nodded.

"This way," She turned on her heel and walked quickly towards the back of the room where I presumed more rooms were hidden. Jace followed quickly after her and I went to pursue when a large hand clamped down around on my forearm, jerking me to a holt.

"Not you." Alec said in a bored tone.

"Excuse me?" I looked up into his hazel eyes and frowned at the bothered look he was giving me.

"You stay here. It's bad enough having one unconscious mundane here, let alone having one snooping around."

"What makes you think I'm going to go snooping around?" I questioned and I had to admit I was a little offended at his rude assumption, "I'm here for Clary, that's it." I went to move to follow Jace but Alec did not relinquish his grip. My temper was starting to flare and I turned back to him, annoyance etched on my face.

"Can you please let me go?" I asked sweetly, "Or am I going to have to make you?" He raised his eyebrow and smirked, leaning down a little closer.

"I'd like to see you try." His breath blew in my face and for a moment I was frozen. That scent…strawberries…white chocolate…that heavenly scent from before…ah, it all made sense now. He was who I smelled in the club before. I briefly remember Jace mentioning his name earlier in the flat.

"See?" Alec's smirk widened, taking my silence as defeat, "You mundanes. You're all talk."

I don't know what triggered it exactly. Maybe it was the cocky way he was addressing me, maybe it was because his grip seemed to grow heavier on my arm, or maybe it was his delicious scent. But whatever it was awoke the beast inside me, and every fibre in my being was screaming at me to attack.

So I did.

Within the blink of an eye, I yanked my arm out of his grip and swung around my other fist, landing a punch straight into his chest. He flew backwards, knocking into one of the big screens before crashing to the floor. I breathed heavily, trembling slightly, and blinked several times. I shouldn't have done that. I continued to breathe, trying to regain control of my human self and trying to ignore the room full of angry Shadowhunters who were now glaring at me, stalking slowly towards me.

"What the hell?" Alec growled, picking himself up off the floor. He looked mad. He began striding over to me and I automatically crouched into a defensive position, a loud growl rumbling in my chest. He stopped where he was, eyes boring hard into mine and I knew from the sudden sharpness of my vision that they must have changed into the electric blue of my wolf's.

"You're a werewolf?" It was more an accusation than a question and I crouched lower, prepared for any attack, but before anything else could happen, somebody stepped between us.

"Enough." Izzy said, whipping her eyes between us. It took a moment for me to come back but once I did, I stood slowly, suddenly very aware of the eyes on me. Once she was satisfied my human-self had gained control, she turned to Alec.

"Alec, you should know better." She chastised. But instead of answering her, he looked over my head with a betrayed look in his eyes.

"Really? You brought a _mutt_ into the Institute?" I spun around and saw Jace coming down the few steps towards us. He looked hard at Alec and then shifted his gaze to me.

"I'll deal with you later." He said lowly and I huffed. This was so unfair, "Izzy, can you take her to Clary? If we have them in the same room at least we can limit the damage to one area." I opened my mouth to retort but Izzy shook her head, lightly pushing me to where Jace had come from.

"Just keep quiet." She whispered. I looked over my shoulder once more and Alec shook his head and glared at me, his eyes dangerously dark. I shook my head and rolled my eyes, following Izzy up the five steps and around the left corner down into a corridor which led off the main room.

"I'm sorry about that," She sighed, although her lips were tilted up in a smirk, "My brother can be quite…irksome."

"He's your brother?" I asked astonished, "Jeez, you have my sympathy." I heard her breath catch in a laugh as she continued leading me down the corridor, turning multiple corners.

"What did you say your name was again?" she asked. I hesitated to answer, but it seemed a bit pointless to hide my identity now – they all knew I was a werewolf. Besides, it was better than being called 'wolf' or 'mutt'.

"Robyn." I said.

"Robyn…" She rolled my name around on her tongue like a boiled sweet, "I like it."

"So glad you approve." I grunted but she simply continued to smirk. We stopped in front of a large door and I looked at her, eyebrow raised.

"After you," she smiled, gesturing to the door. I opened up my senses, wary in case she tried anything to avenge her brother, and pulled open the door. Stepping inside, I found myself in a light room with several hospital-type beds. Unlike the bright white of the main room, this one was a cool blue with splashes of emerald on the walls. And there in the middle bed was Clary, still unconscious.

"Is she going to be alright?" I asked, climbing the steps and standing next to her. She looked so pale and fragile right now.

"She will be," Izzy assured, standing next to me, "Jace drew the rune just in time. It's going to take a while for the venom to dissolve from her system." I looked to where the demon attacked her and noticed the edges of a rune burned into her skin. Izzy looked down at the sleeping girl for a moment before travelling around to the other side of the bed, perching herself on the edge.

"And now we wait." She smiled, patting over Clary to the bit of mattress just in front of me. Knowing she was right, I sighed and slowly sank onto the edge of the mattress, eyes fixed on Clary's peaceful-looking face.

"And now we wait."


	4. The Truth

I don't know how long I sat there watching Clary's chest rising up and down. It could have been hours, minutes, days…I was practically driving myself sick with worry as each second Clary wasn't awake was another second that I feared the worst.

"Is it true that when you Change, your clothes change with you?" Izzy mused and I had to hold back a groan. She had been asking me questions about werewolves non-stop for the past…God knows how long. And every time I thought I'd exhausted her thirst for knowledge she always had another question loaded to fire at me.

"No," I said, eyes fixed on Clary.

"So…when you're in wolf form…you're actually naked?" And I could tell from her tone that she was grinning. I sighed.

"Yes."

"So…when you change back into human form…?"

"You have to pray like mad that no one is around to see it." A peel of laughter left her as she threw her head back and I couldn't help the small smile that I felt form on my face.

"But what about your pack?" she asked as her laughter died away. The smile on my face faltered, "How do they feel about you being here?"

I didn't want to tell her I didn't belong to a pack. Rogue werewolves were extremely rare as each newly turned member was assigned a pack by the Praetor, and we had to stick to that pack for life. Not belonging to a pack was considered shameful among our kind, almost like going against your birth right. My parents were mundanes and were killed on the night I was bitten, but Luke took me away before the Praetor even knew a new wolf had been created so I was never assigned a pack. Luke was my whole family, looking after me, training me, helping me through the Changes which I still had trouble controlling. He had been there for me through everything. Even during my darkest times of self-loathing, at times when I considered ending it all, he was there to get me through it. I owed him everything. I had always wondered why Luke had decided to keep me hidden from the packs, not offering to introduce me to the Praetor or even his own Alpha, but any time I brought up the subject, he just told me that I'd understand in time. His Alpha was apparently a volatile man and there was much fighting among his pack. I guess he just didn't want me to have to experience that at such a young age.

Before I could answer Izzy with some spun up story about how they'd be fine with it, Clary groaned and all my thoughts and attention was immediately pulled to her.

"Clary?" I asked, walking to the bedside and hovered over her. Her eyes were still closed but her eyebrows were pulled together, almost as if she was having a bad dream. Izzy had also shifted up to Clary, scooting up the bed to look closely at her. She began making more unintelligible noises and began tossing around on her pillow, red hair flailing wildly.

"What's happening to her?" I asked, but Izzy shrugged, looking lost and just as bewildered as I was. Clary's hand shot to the amethyst necklace around her neck and I noticed little beads of sweat specking across her forehead.

"Clary!" I said loudly, but before I could reach out a hand to shake her, she sat bolt upright with a gasp, smacking her forehead into Izzy's.

"Ow," Izzy said calmly, eyes shut and I would have found it funny if it wasn't for the confused, fearful look on Clary's face.

"Wait, I-I don't know you. I-" She retreated back up the bed, wide eyes focused on Izzy.

"I'm Isabelle," Izzy grinned, staring at Clary with an amused glint in her eye. Clary's eyes shot around the room, dazed, before landing on me.

"Robyn?" she breathed, relief washing over her face.

"Thank God you're alright." I leaned down and wrapped my arms around her, feeling her own arms squeezing me tight.

"I've never seen Jace so curious about a mundane," Izzy continued as we pulled away, "or distracted. Like you saw earlier, distractions are dangerous in our line of work." She flicked her dark eyes to me, "Among other things."

I shot her a look.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Clary said distractedly, still looking around the room. I watched her carefully, ready in case she started to freak out. I had known Clary since we were little and she got easily frustrated at stressful or confusing situations, "Who's Jace?"

"She really doesn't know much, does she?" Izzy said to me, but my focus was still on Clary. This wasn't how we planned for her to find out about all of this.

"All I know is some psycho's took my mother and now you people have taken me and Robyn." Izzy smirked.

"And by 'taken' I assume you mean 'saved your life'?" Clary stared at her in disbelief and my heart went out to her. She looked so lost and all I wanted to do was take her away from these people and get her to Luke.

"Mundanes shouldn't even be here," Alec's voice sounded from behind me and I tried not to squirm as he and Jace walked past me, "Neither should mutts." He shot a nasty look at me and I narrowed my eyes.

"Watch who you're calling 'mutt', Angel boy." I growled. Clary's head twisted between the two of us.

"Mutt?" she asked.

"She's not a mundane, Alec." I was momentarily thankful for Jace's interruption; I wasn't prepared to tell Clary the truth just yet.

"How do you know that?" Alec challenged.

"Because the seraph blade lit up when she touched it!" he said exasperatedly, shaking his head, "Isabelle, can you-?" Izzy stood up and Jace took her place, sitting on the bed.

"I'm Jace Wayland," he said.

"I'm…uh-"

"Clary. Fray. We know who you are." He nodded, and Clary's eyes slid over to me. Oh Clary, they would have known who you were without me here.

"Am I the only one who finds this unusual?" Alec said, standing tall over Clary. I could tell from the way he had his chest puffed out a little and how he stood a little taller that he felt threatened. Typical male.

"You find everything unusual, Alec." Jace shot back, annoyance laced in his voice.

Why does that not surprise me? Alec snapped his eyes to me and glared fiercely. Did I say that out loud?

"You know I can easily throw you out of here by the scruff of your neck, mutt."

"You already tried that; didn't really work for you, did it?"

He exhaled sharply and made to move towards me but Izzy stood in front of him, placing a hand on his chest, "Alec."

"You know what? Dial it down a notch." Jace said, shooting warning looks at both of us, "Both of you." I crossed my arms across my chest.

"I will if _he_ does." My temper was flaring again.

"My brother doesn't have a dial," Izzy said to the room before looking up to her brother, "I love you Alec, but you have a switch that's always on."

"I love you too," I was momentarily startled at the gentle tone he used and the way he looked at Izzy then with a ghost of a smile on his face, tenderness in his eyes. But as fast as it had come, it vanished, "But this is-"

"Hey, you know what? Give me a minute." Alec glared down at Jace, making no move to leave, "Here's a word you never hear me say; please?" Jace gestured over to the door behind me. Alec looked to Izzy then back at the blonde on the bed.

"Fine," Alec huffed, "But the mutt leaves," He turned his hard stare to me, " _now_."

"No chance," I snarled.

"The wolf made a promise to Clary's mother that she'd protect her, and I for one am not going to stand in the way of that. Besides, I invited her in here which means she's my guest." He sounded very determined as he looked up at Alec, "She stays." There was a pause as Alec looked at him, disbelief apparent on his face.

"What is with you?" He looked to his sister, "Really no, what is with him?"

"Walk with me big brother." Izzy said, linking her arm through his. She led him around the bed and it took all my strength not to move as they brushed past me, and I didn't even need to look to know that Alec glared at me as they left. I wanted to make some kind of snarky remark, but the warning look Jace was giving me kept my mouth shut.

"Thanks," I muttered. Clary glanced between the two of us.

"Wolf? Why are they calling you that?" she demanded. Jace and I locked eyes for a moment and I gave a small shake of my head, too subtle for Clary to pick up on, "Can someone please tell me what's going on?"

For a moment I thought he was going to tell her as he looked back to her.

"Your wound; it's healed." He nodded to her shoulder. Clary was confused for a moment before her eyes snapped down to where her scars should have been.

"How is that even possible?" she breathed, wide eyes turning to Jace. I breathed a small sigh of relief, thankful that she had been distracted from the whole wolf business.

"So what? I'm- I miraculously healed and all of you…stunning people have magical powers?"

"No," Jace laughed, "No, don't confuse me with a warlock."

"A what?"

"A warlock. It's-" He frowned, "one of the Downworlders." My neck started to heat up.

"OK, you're not making any sense." Clary shook her head and Jace glanced at me from the corner of his eye.

"Warlocks, vampires, seelies, they're all-"

"Literally my brain is about to explode." I shifted towards her a little, hearing the hint of hysteria in her voice. I knew she wouldn't take this well – she looked like she was going to be sick.

"Jeez, alright well I'll keep it simple for you." Jace murmured and then gazed at her dead in the eye, "All the legends are true. We're Shadowhunters." It felt like someone had punched me in the stomach, "We protect the human world from the demon world. So those… _people_ …you saw murdered at the Pandemonium, they weren't people at all. They were shapeshifting demons."

There it was. The truth was out. After eighteen years of lies and protection, Clary finally knew about the Shadow World. She would know about Jocelyn, Luke, me…

"I'm not interested in being a part of your supernatural fight club." Clary said and I raised my eyebrows as Jace glanced at me, "I just want to find my mom." Her voice broke and I felt a wave of pity sweep through me, "The rest of it, whatever it is, all I care about is finding my mother." She looked up at me with tears in her eyes and addressed both of us, "Please. Please help me find her."

"I'm the best chance you've got." Jace said.

"He's right." I was surprised to hear myself speak up, but I couldn't deny it any longer. Jocelyn was a Shadowhunter, taken by demons which was a Shadowhunter's specialty. If anyone had a chance of finding her it would be the Shadowhunters. Clary shook her head, turning back to Jace.

"I don't even know you." Her phone suddenly rang and she searched around her quilt for it.

"Simon," she breathed, staring at the screen. Oh gosh, Simon…I'd completely forgotten about him. She clicked the receiver and stood up. I could hear Simon practically shouting on the other end of the line, but before I could hear any more Jace walked over to me.

"You haven't told her anything?" He said quietly. I looked into his eyes, noticing how one was blue and the other was half blue, half brown.

"Her mother wanted it that way," I murmured, "It was the only way to protect her."

"She needs to know." I watched as Clary paced around the room, phone pressed to her ear.

"Well I don't think she really has a choice anymore." She suddenly ran to the window.

"I see you," she smiled. Frowning, I followed Jace over to the window and saw Simon walking around, looking lost and confused, "Give me five minutes; I have to get dressed." I felt Jace freeze beside me for a split second.

"What?" I whispered. He continued to stare out the window for a moment.

"Nothing." He turned and walked back over to the bed. I continued to look out of the window, scouring for anything out of the ordinary. Something had definitely caught Jace's eye.

"Simon," Clary sighed, "Just give me five minutes, OK?" She hung up then and walked back over to Jace. I still didn't move from my position, watching as Simon checked his phone.

"Um, what happened to my clothes?" Clary asked.

"Demon venom." Jace responded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "Remember? Isabelle left you these."

"You're kidding, right?" I turned, seeing Clary holding up a pair of high-knee leather boots. She looked repulsed.

"She's very comfortable with her body." Jace shrugged. Clary blinked.

"O…k." She turned back to the clothes and frowned, picking them up. She then stared at Jace, but he was reading some kind of book, unaware of her gaze. She cleared her throat and he looked up, "Do you mind?"

"I'm more used to taking clothes _off_ women rather than putting them on," he smirked, "But I can give it my best shot."

Clary rolled her eyes, "I meant can you give me some privacy?" He continued smirking for a moment, throwing a look at me before he stood and walked out of the room.

"Jerk," she muttered, throwing the clothes back on the chair. She came over to me and looked back out of the window, leaning right out to peer down.

"What are you doing?" I asked as she looked all around the window frame.

"We've got to get out of here." She said, pushing against the glass. I sighed.

"We can't." She turned to face me.

"Of course we can. Robyn every second we're here is another second my mom is missing. We can't afford to waste any more time." She started pushing against the glass harder and I gently grabbed her wrists.

"Clary," her eyes focused on me again, "I wasn't lying earlier. Jace really is your best shot at finding your mom."

"Him?" She said in disbelief, "He's crazy; they all are!" She pulled her arms and I let her go, "I mean come on! Demons and Shadowhunters and warlocks? They don't exist!" She turned away and walked towards the bed. I took a deep breath; it's now or never.

"Yes, they do." I took a step towards her, "And I can prove it."

She turned back to me, rolling her eyes, "Really?"

"Yes." She cleared her throat and folded her arms across her chest, clearly not believing me.

"Alright. Go on then."

I watched her warily, having second thoughts. What would happen if I showed her? Would she be frightened? Would she resent me forever? Should I just laugh and tell her it's all a joke? Get her to Luke instead?

No, I couldn't do that. Jocelyn and Luke had said from the very beginning that Clary finding out about the Shadow World was inevitable, and right now I was the only person who could probably make her believe. _Really_ believe. Being unaware of the danger she was in would be more damaging than keeping her in the dark.

"OK," I said in a small voice, "Just…just don't freak out, OK?" She rolled her eyes again, waiting for whatever it was I was going to show her. I took another couple of steps towards her and stopped a few feet away, closing my eyes. I took a deep breath, exhaling slowly.

 _You can do this._

I took another deep breath and held it as I opened my eyes and Clary's arms fell limply by her side, jaw slackening.

"What?" she breathed, taking a step closer, "Your…your eyes…." Her own eyes widened, "Earlier…at the police station-?"

I nodded, "You saw them then too."

"I thought I'd imagined it," she shook her head, "So what? You…A-Are you a…a demon?" She forced the word out and I had to smile.

"No," I said gently, "If I was a demon I would be dead right now. Or, well, back in hell. I wouldn't have even got within five miles of this place without having a seraph blade or arrow stabbed through my heart."

"Then what…what are you?" I took a deep breath.

"I'm a werewolf."

Clary simply stood there, staring at me. She didn't speak for a few minutes and the silence was practically deafening to my ears. I knew it was a lot to take in and she was still processing everything, but I was just as nervous about it.

"That's…that's not possible." She shook her head, red curls falling around her face. "Werewolves don't exist."

"Neither do demons, yet you were attacked by one in your own flat, and in Pandemonium so I hear."

She continued to gaze at me and realization dawned on her face.

"So that's why…that's why they were calling you those names?" She whispered.

"Yeah. We don't really get on with other Downworlders at the best of times," I laughed a little bitterly, "I mean, other supernatural beings."

"Huh…" She looked me over, "And how…how long have you been a…a…"

"Ever since I could walk," I said, blinking so my eyes returned to their normal green colour, "I was bitten the night my parents died."

"Oh my God…" she whispered, but it was less fearful and more out of pity, "And Luke, does he-?" I nodded.

"Luke was the first person to find me after it happened." She sank down on the bed, still staring at me.

"What did happen?" She asked, but before I could even consider an answer there was a knock on the door.

"Are you done yet?" Jace called through the wood.

"Not yet!" Clary called back. She looked back at me.

"That's a story for another time," I waved it off, "Right now there are more pressing matters." I walked over to the chair and picked up the leather garments, "Like…BDSM."

"I can't believe I have to wear these." She cringed as I handed them to her.

"Just think of it as dressing up for Halloween." I suggested.

"Easy for you to say," I turned back to the window, giving her a little privacy, "You're not being forced into these things."

"Well, no one's really forcing you," I said, peaking at Simon through the window, "You could always go out dressed as you are…I doubt Simon would complain." I was hit in the back by soft material and laughed, knowing it must have been Clary's shirt.

"OK, I look like a prostitute," she huffed and I turned, smirking at the short leather skirt.

"Hey, if it's any consolation, I'm sure people would pay good money for you." She threw me a sour look in the reflection of the mirror.

"I can't breathe." She plucked at the leather corset around her ribs.

"Meh, air is overrated." She huffed and gathered her long hair in one hand, throwing it over her left shoulder which exposed the flesh coloured rune on her neck. She let out a sharp breath.

"How did that get there?" She poked at the mark.

"I drew that." Jace said, strutting back into the room. Clary whirled around to face him.

"OK listen," she drew closer to him, "I still don't get everything that's going on here, but you do not tattoo my neck. That's creepy."

"Dually noted," he said, a sour smile on his face, "I guess next time I'll just let you die." Clary blinked, backing away a little, "And it's not a tattoo; it's a rune." He walked closer to her, "They have enormous power. Good for Shadowhunters. Lethal for humans. But you-" he pulled the book he was reading earlier off the bed and I instantly recognised it as Clary's folder. When and how the hell did he get that? "you already know all about runes. Don't you?" He flicked open the front cover and tapped to the pencilled runes Clary had drawn. She opened and closed her mouth, shaking her head slightly. As the silence drew on, Jace's frown deepened.

"Maybe you don't." He flicked his gaze to me and then back at Clary, "Which is what makes you so interesting. Clary Fray." He folded his arms across his chest and stared her down.

"Leave her alone," I said and both of them looked to me, "Clary can learn about everything in her own time. Right now Simon's still waiting outside."

"Oh my God, Simon!" Clary breathed, looking at Jace. He stared hard at me for a moment and then drew his gaze back to Clary.

"This way," he headed back towards the door and Clary threw me a look before following him. I sighed, staring out at a cold looking Simon once more before pursuing them. Jace led us back down the corridor Izzy had, past several large doors and passing several other Shadowhunters who gazed at Clary with interest and me in dislike. It appeared my little moment with Alec in front of everyone hadn't been forgiven nor forgotten.

We entered the main bright room with all the screens again and kept my eyes forward, ignoring the looks I was receiving from everyone. We headed down the stairs and Jace told Clary and I to wait.

"This is…" Clary began, staring around the room.

"Bizarre?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Well I was going to say overwhelming, but yeah." I folded my arms across my chest as Jace called Clary's name from across the room. In his hand he held a seraph, its blade glowing bright white. I made to follow Clary when she stopped me.

"Maybe I should go by myself?" she said, and I made to protest, "Simon doesn't know you're here, and I think he might be a bit freaked out seeing both of us." She had a point, but I was uncomfortable at the thought of leaving her exposed out there.

"It's too dangerous," I argued, "You don't know what's out there."

"Don't worry, I'll have Jace with me." She said, jerking her head over to the blonde who was waiting by the entering archway. I frowned, still unsure, and Clary sighed, taking my hand in hers, "Trust me. If something happens I'll yell for you."

I sighed but relented. It was true that she'd be safe with Jace, and he seemed prepared with his blade. She squeezed my hand once before heading over to him, and I watched as they strode down to the entrance, heads together and exchanging words. Once they were out of sight, I wandered over to one of the large screens. It appeared to be a large structural map of New York City, in blue print form. Was this how they tracked other Downworlders?

"Don't touch anything." I rolled my eyes, feeling the heat of his presence behind me.

"You know, I'd actually planned on touching everything in here." I turned and stared up at him, smiling, "But now you've said that I think I might reconsider."

Alec stared down at me, unamused.

"Wow…" I said after a few moments of him staring, "Do you even know _how_ to smile?"

"You're not on any of our records." He stated, and the panic rose up in me for a split second.

"Maybe your records are wrong then?" I shrugged. I knew perfectly well I wasn't registered in the Shadow World, and not being so was considered an offence.

"Our records aren't wrong," He stepped closer, looming dangerously over me, "We have kept records of every Downworlder since the beginning of time."

I whistled, "That must be one biiiig folder."

"The point is," he said in a hard voice, "there are no records of any werewolves named Robyn in our New York district. Which means that you're either a liar," he stepped closer, "or you're hiding something."

He folded his arms across his chest, and his dark sleeves were rolled back to his elbows. The action made his forearms flex, and although his arms were slim, I could see the strong muscle lines in them. He could probably snap my neck with those arms, being part angel with super strength and all, but for some reason I wasn't afraid. In fact, the animal within me wanted to play, to goad him, to tease him and rattle his cage.

"OK," I sighed, holding up my hands in surrender, "you caught me. I'm actually a Faerie, banished from my clan because I was too tall and didn't fit in. The younger faeries would laugh at me, call me Goliath-"

"Do you think this is funny?" He asked through gritted teeth, dark eyes flashing dangerously.

"On the contrary, I found the nickname rather hurtful-"

"Where. Is. Your. Pack?"

I pursed my lips, "You didn't say the magic word." His eyes grew dark and I could see from his rigid posture that he was close to losing it.

"Listen, mutt." His breath blew over my face, "You are putting my people in danger by being here, and not only that, but I find that there is no record of you to be found anywhere. Now, that means that you're either lying about who you are, or you haven't registered your Downworld status with us, and I can assure you I have no problem whatsoever in locking you up for both. Now, I'm giving you one last chance to cooperate – Who. Are. You?"

I blinked a couple of times, and then smiled.

"You wanted to know more about me? I'm flattered, but you could have at least taken me out to dinner or something."

"Why you little-"

"Alec." Izzy suddenly appeared by his side, "You're not tormenting poor Robyn again, are you?"

"Back off, Izzy." He growled, not breaking our glaring match, "This doesn't concern you."

"On the contrary dear brother, I'm not getting involved for my own enjoyment. Our parents wish to speak to you." She sighed. Alec jaw flexed, dark eyes boring threateningly into mine before he exhaled, backing off slightly.

"When?" he asked, frustration still thick in his voice.

"Now. And I'd hurry if I were you – you know how mother hates to be kept waiting."

He inhaled a deep breath, glaring off into the corner of the room for a moment.

"Alright," he said in a quiet voice, "but just so you know," he turned his eyes back to me "just because your Jace's guest, and he has to treat you with respect, doesn't mean I have to." And with that he stormed off, striding up the steps and out of sight.

"Is he always so charming?" I asked, folding my arms over my chest and watching after him. Izzy smiled, leaning on the table next to me.

"My brother is a complicated person," she said fondly, "but he means well."

"You call trying to do background checks on me and calling me a liar 'meaning well'?"

"Well he was right wasn't he? There are no Robyn's in our district." She stared at me from under her eyelashes and I sighed.

"It's complicated."

"It always is." She pushed herself off the table and started heading to one of the bigger computer systems, the screen split into footage from what I presumed to be security cameras.

"It's funny though," she said airily, stopping to turn back to me again.

I took the bait, "What?"

"I've never seen him so flustered about anyone before." She smirked. I frowned as she spun on her heels, sat in front of the large monitor and slid a headpiece onto her head.


	5. Dot

"Where are we?" I heard a low, dazed voice and my ears picked it up immediately, "W…What the hell?"

Simon. Relief flooded through me as he sounded alright. Shocked and confused, but alright.

"Clary, is there a war going on that I don't know about?" I stifled a laugh and Izzy glanced behind up at me from the screen.

"There is now." Jace replied.

"I think my mother's at the centre of it." Clary said breathily and I heard her heels clicking closer towards us.

"You coming?" Jace's voice echoed and I turned left, watching him and Clary step into the main room.

"Yeah." Simon said, trailing in after them, "What is this place? There's a lot of gear in here. What'd they do, rob a tech shop?" He was looking around with wide eyes and the Shadowhunters around him threw annoyed looks as he accidentally wandered into their paths. All three walked over to another separate monitor, one of the large touchscreen ones, and started talking among themselves.

"He's your friend too?" Izzy asked, tapping away on her keyboard.

"Yeah."

"Why don't you go say hi?" I glanced at Simon and then shook my head.

"He looks overwhelmed as it is. Besides, his attention span when Clary's around decreases dramatically."

"Is that a hint of jealousy I hear?"

"No," I said, plucking a dead hair off my jacket, "It's just an observation. What are you looking at anyway?"

"City surveillance." I leaned forward and watched some of the footage, recognising odd streets and cafés in New York, "Our job is to protect mundanes but there aren't enough of us to patrol the whole area. From here we can see everything and not be detected."

"Detected?"

"By Downworlders. Our scents are quite hard to miss as I'm sure you're aware, angel blood and all."

"True…you do have very distinctive smells." She rested her chin on her hands and looked up at me.

"I'm curious; what do I smell like?" I inhaled deeply.

"Like…cinnamon."

"Really? Interesting..." She seemed almost pleased, "What about Alec?"

"What is going on?" Speak of the devil.

"Does he ever just start with 'hi'?" I murmured as Alec strode up to the little group. Izzy smirked and turned back to the screen.

"Why is there a mundane in the Institute?" He continued, shooting Jace a hard look.

"Circle member followed him to get to Clary." Jace sighed. Nice save.

"Circle rune just like the guys that took my mother." Clary said, staring Alec in the eye. Alec didn't seem convinced.

"What exactly is a Circle member? And why are they trying to kill us?" Simon asked. Clary looked between all of them, also thirsting for an answer.

"All we know is a long time ago the Circle led a revolt. A lot of Shadowhunters got killed…including my father." Jace murmured.

A stab of something heavy shot through my stomach. My own father had been killed when I was very young too, and although Luke had filled in that position, it would never quite feel like the real thing. I would always be the girl he took care of, not his daughter. I turned away and stared blankly at Izzy's screen. The pictures were moving, but I wasn't seeing them.

"And since the revolt, we've been forbidden to even _hear_ about the Circle." Alec added.

"But how is that even possible? I-It's your history." Clary said and the antique store flashed behind my eyes. History…

"Says the girl who didn't know she was a Shadowhunter?" Jace sniggered and I had to hold back a groan as I heard several pairs of footsteps approaching Izzy and I from behind. Instead I made sure to keep my arms locked around my chest and my eyes focused on the screen.

"Yeah, yeah you're right." Clary said bitterly, her voice growing louder, "And I'm the only person who knows the truth is missing, so I don't care about your rules or what's forbidden, I'm- There's gotta be someone out there who can tell us why they've taken my mother."

I kept still as Jace reached around me to tap on the monitor, and I was very aware of Alec standing just a few feet behind me. My spine felt odd, tingly almost, and for some reason he was the only thing I was focusing on despite everything that was going on around us.

"There is," Jace said, turning back to Clary, "Coming?"

"Yeah," she said, "Robyn?" A little startled, I turned around and saw Clary jerking her head, signalling me to follow her.

"Robyn?" Simon blinked and I offered him a small smile as I moved to follow Clary. But once again, my path was suddenly blocked by a certain someone.

"Hold up," Alec said and I sighed, before narrowing my eyes up at him.

"I'm really beginning to dislike you."

"Feeling's mutual." I moved to step around him but he moved to block me again. Frustration started bubbling deep in the pit of my stomach.

"Alec's right," Jace said, "The wolf and the mundane stay here."

"Hey, we're a package deal. All three of us." Clary argued.

"Yeah," Simon contributed. I simply raised my eyebrow at Alec but he didn't budge, still staring me down.

"There are runes all over the training room floor that would kill your wolf friend and mundane boyfriend."

"He's not my-"

"I'm not, like-" Simon and Clary stuttered. Jace looked at Simon who cleared his throat, "We're just friends." And I'm sure I wasn't the only one who heard the note of disappointment in Simon's tone.

" _Best_ friends." Clary rephrased. Well, I bet that cheered him up.

"Yeah," Simon smiled, his whole demeanour suddenly lifting, "And I'm _tough_. I can handle runes, so err, bring on the runes." He smacked Jace's arm encouragingly before shaking out his hand. Probably not giving the best impression, Simon.

"…What exactly are runes?" He asked and I laughed a little under my breath, shaking my head and looking down at the ground.

"They give Shadowhunters our demon fighting powers." Izzy said, standing next to me and drawing her stele over her arm to reveal a tattooed flesh rune and I moved away slightly as it burned orange. Both Alec and Izzy caught this movement and I wanted to berate myself for possibly giving them something to hold over me.

"So hot…" Simon breathed and I wasn't sure whether he was talking about the rune or Izzy. At the way his jaw slackened and eyes widened, I would guess at the latter. Jace seemed to notice this too and frowned, clearing his throat hard.

"The rune," Simon said quickly, turning back to him. Izzy laughed a little.

"Don't worry Clary," she smiled, sauntering towards Simon, "I'll watch over the 'best friend'. And Alec can watch over Robyn."

"What?" Alec and I objected, but she appeared not to be listening.

"In fact I was about to make breakfast."

"On second thought the runes might be less lethal," Jace smirked at Clary.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that." Izzy smiled, cocking her head to the side, "Please excuse my brother's lack of manners." She jabbed her thumb back towards Alec who had moved to my side, but still wasn't letting me advance forward, "This is Alec, and I'm Isabelle."

I wanted to laugh as Simon shook her hand; she had clearly held it out for the intention of it being kissed.

"Lewis. Simon, Simon Lewis. Two first names. Am I still talking?"

"See? Best friends' safe and sound here." Jace smiled.

"Jace, if anything happens to them…" Clary warned.

"Go on, I'll be fine." Simon encouraged, although he hadn't really taken his eyes off Izzy, "I think."

"Yeah, I think I can pretty much handle myself, so…" I made a point of taking a big sidestep away from Alec. Clary shook her head and turned back to Jace.

"OK, so where are we going?"

"Training room." He gestured towards the room and Clary started heading towards it. He quickly backtracked to Simon.

"Hey, um, don't eat the food. Dangerous." He clapped Simon on the shoulder.

"Jace, coming?" Clary called.

"Yeah I'm coming." He followed after her and they disappeared through one of the doors in the wall. Izzy smiled and linked arms with Simon, shooting a smirk at Alec.

"Look after her." My eyes widened.

"Izzy-" Alec started.

"I'll be fine on my own. Really." I said quickly. The thought of being alone with Captain Grumpy Face for God knows how long was already making me feel nauseous.

"Don't worry Robyn," she smiled, "He doesn't bite…" She sent Alec one last look before sweeping Simon away. He only managed to throw me a smile mixed between reassuring and nervous before disappearing out of sight.

I pursed my lips together and rocked on the balls of my feet as the silence rung out between Alec and I. This situation was so uncomfortable. It was clear neither of us wanted to be in each other's presence, but also neither of us really knew what to do about it. We stood in the same spots, a few feet apart, not talking for a good two minutes before the tension practically suffocated me.

"Well," I began, feigning chirpiness, "Not that this isn't fun, but I'm going to go look around." I made a move to head towards the steps where Simon had been taken when Alec's pale hand shot out, grasping my upper arm.

"Really?" I groaned, shooting him an annoyed look.

"If you think I'm about to let you go snooping around you've got another thing coming," he stated, "Especially seeing as you're a mutt."

"OK, can you stop with the 'mutt' thing?"

"No." I rolled my eyes.

"Seriously, what do you think I'm going to do?" I asked, trying to yank my arm out of his grip, "I mean really?"

"I know wolves," he said, tightening his grasp, "You're bad tempered, aggressive, volatile-"

"Only when provoked." I pointed out.

"So that display you showed earlier was you behaving normally?"

"Oh, I get it. You're just mad that I kicked your ass in front of all your other angel buddies. Did I wound your ego?" I pouted.

"That's got nothing to do it."

"No you're right. You don't _have_ any friends, do you?" I successfully yanked my arm out of his grip, but didn't move away, opting to stand my ground. His nostrils flared a little, "It's no wonder really. What with the whole personality by-pass you've got going on."

"You don't know anything." A muscle in his jaw jumped.

"And neither do you. Seriously I was here for all of one minute before you'd already made assumptions about me."

"Like I said, I know wolves."

"But you don't know _me._ " I stressed.

"I don't need to know you to know what you're like." He folded his arms across his chest, "You're all the same."

"Wow…you really are a jerk, you know that?" He opened his mouth to respond when my back pocket suddenly vibrated. I pulled out my phone as it rang, reading the name on the screen.

 **Luke**

Relief and happiness swelled in my chest, only to be deflated with guilt. I had promised him I would met him back at the apartment with Clary…God knows how long ago. I hadn't even sent him a message to let him know where we were, or that we were even safe. He was probably worried sick. I clicked the green button and held the phone to my ear, turning away from Mr Presumptuous.

"Hello?"

"Robyn, oh thank God." Luke breathed, and the comfort I thought I'd experience at hearing his deep voice was replaced with anxiety. He sounded exhausted, out of breath…

"Luke? What's going on?"

"Are you and Clary safe?"

"Luke, I-"

"Are you safe?" he repeated harder.

"Yeah…"

"Good." He sighed.

"Luke, what's-"

"Don't come home." I frowned.

"What?"

"The Circle know about you." Ice slid into my stomach and something unpleasant crawled down my spine.

"H-How?"

"I'm not sure, but it's not safe for you to come back, or Clary." I took a dep breath, trying to make my voice steady.

"OK. What do you need me to do?"

"Stay hidden. Don't tell anybody where you are, including me. Don't trust anybody." I nodded and exhaled loudly.

"Alright. I miss you."

"I miss you too, kiddo." I smiled sadly into the phone, "I've got to go. Remember, be safe."

"You too." The line disconnected and I numbly slid the phone back into my pocket, staring blankly at a cracked tile in the floor.

"Who was that?" Alec demanded. I turned and saw him leaning over the table near us, papers scattered all over it.

"No one," I said, shaking my head. He raised an eyebrow.

"No one? Really?" He stood up to his full height, fixing me with a look, "And you wonder why I don't trust you."

My defensive walls shot back up. Luke had told me not to trust anyone, and if that mean receiving no trust in return then that was fine by me, "To be honest I couldn't care less whether you trust me or not."

"Robyn," Clary called from behind. She looked elated, her eyes wild, "I need to speak to you."

"O…K?" She grabbed my hand and started pulling me along towards the stairs leading off to the other rooms.

"Clary, what's going on?" Once we'd turned the corner into the corridor, she stopped, whirling around to face me.

"It's Dot."

"Dot?" She nodded, "What about Dot? Is she alri-"

"She's a warlock." I blinked.

"Oh." She continued to scrutinize me, staring into my eyes.

"OK, I'll admit I was looking for a bit more of a reaction." My eyes flitted to the ground and my feet shuffled slightly. There was a pause and I looked back into her eyes which suddenly narrowed.

"You already knew." She accused.

"Yeah…" I said awkwardly.

"Great," she huffed, "Is there anything else I don't know about?" I bit my lip. She might as well know – it was pointless keeping anything from her now.

"Luke…" she stiffened.

"What about Luke?"

"He's…kind of…a werewolf too." I rubbed the back of my head. I was expecting her to be surprised, or scared, or amazed, but I wasn't prepared for the urgent gleam in her eye.

"Robyn, we can't trust Luke."

"Yes we can-" She gripped my arm.

"No Robyn, seriously; we can't." I would have reassured her if it wasn't for the desperate look in her eye.

"Why not?" I asked slowly. Her grasp on me tightened and she moved closer, checking that no one was listening.

"You know the night Dot sent us to the station?" She asked lowly. I nodded, "Well I overheard Luke talking to some people – I think they were Circle members. Anyway, they were asking him all sorts of things about me and my mom and he said that he didn't care about us and was only interested in…the Mortal Cup."

"The Mortal Cup?" I had wandered in on Luke and Jocelyn talking about such a thing, but I had no idea what it actually was. It must have been important as they both quietened off when they noticed me there, and now Clary was mentioning it…

"Yeah. And that's when I ran away because I was freaked out. The point is he's not on our side." I slowly shook my head, trying to process what I had heard.

"Clary…no. That's not-"

"I swear to you that's what he said." I wanted to argue with her, to shake my head and tell her that we could trust Luke. Her mother had said so herself, and Luke had protected me all these years. He'd only just phoned me to warn me about what was happening…

 _Don't trust anybody._

Did that…Did that mean Luke too? Was he trying to tell me not to trust him? But why would he do that? Surely if he wanted this cup he'd use Clary and I in any way he could to get it. Why would he warn me not to trust him if he'd given me a heads up about the dangers out there? The hurt and confusion must have shown on my face as Clary's face fell.

"I'm so sorry." I shook my head, feeling hollow.

"Ah, there you are!" Izzy came strutting down the corridor to us, Simon following after her, "The boys are through there," she pointed back towards the main room where we'd just come from, "Chop, chop."

Simon nodded, threw Clary and I a nervous smile, and walked in the direction Izzy had pointed.

"He's adorable," she smirked before turning back to us, "Jace has told me what we need to do, and as much as I love that outfit on you, he's told me that you want to change, so…follow me." She began sauntering back down the corridor and we followed quickly after her.

"What is it we need to do exactly?" I whispered to Clary.

"Jace thinks my memory's been wiped, and the only people who can do that are apparently warlocks."

"And you think Dot did it?"

"Who else?" She asked and I shrugged, "Wait, you didn't know about this?"

"No. I just thought your mother had never told you things. No one mentioned anything about having any memories wiped." Izzy stopped in front of a large oak door and threw us a smirk over her shoulder before pulling open the doors. A strong wave of cinnamon wafted over us and we cautiously entered the large room.

It was Izzy's bedroom. It was a mix of emerald and black, with a large bed in the centre of the room and lamps lit on bedside tables, illuminating the room in a soft glow. On the opposite wall were two huge dark wardrobes, aligned with several large chests of drawers.

"Welcome to my humble abode," Izzy said sweetly. She glided over to her wardrobe and threw open the doors. Dresses of every shape, colour and size hung inside and my eyes widened at how racy some of them, well, most of them were. Izzy's fingers glided lovingly over them.

"Hmm…how about this?" She plucked out a tight looking red leather dress, with a deep, plunging neckline, and I was sure it would only just reach to the tops of Clary's thighs.

"No," Clary said. Izzy pouted but scanned the wardrobe again, pulling out a white dress which had holes cut out, exposing some parts that shouldn't be exposed.

"This?" she quirked an eyebrow and Clary simply threw her an unimpressed look. I shut the bedroom doors, knowing that we might be here for a while.

* * *

"Is this the least revealing thing you have?" Clary asked, looking herself up and down in the mirror.

"What?" Izzy grinned, standing behind her, "All the naughty bits are covered. A little too much in my opinion." I had to hold back a laugh. Izzy had tried to wrestle Clary into a number of short skirts and skimpy tops, and she had finally settled on a thin dark vest, tight black jeans and high heels.

"Then again, you are a lot more cooperative than _some_ people." She threw a sour look my way and I raised my eyebrow. Izzy had also tried to force me into one of those outfits, but had given up with a huff when I refused for the two hundredth time.

"Where's Simon?" Clary sighed, folding her arms self-consciously over her chest.

"Who?" Izzy frowned, and then grinned at Clary's alarmed expression, "Kidding. He's in good hands with the boys." I snorted.

"Sure he is." Izzy smirked and wandered over to join me on the bed.

"So, um, you, Alec and Jace are…what, like family?" Clary started, leaning against a pillar in front of us.

Izzy flashed her teeth, laughing, "Translation; you wanna know if Jace and I are a thing." I too couldn't help my lips pulling up in a smirk at the startled look on Clary's face.

"Why would I care?"

"Because you do." Izzy sighed, "Don't worry. In every way, he's like my brother. Our parents took Jace in when he was ten. We trained together, learned to fight side by side." Clary shook her head.

"Alec's free too..." Izzy's eyes snapped to me, a teasing smile on her lips.

"Good for him." I frowned. I'd be a lot more surprised if he actually _was_ in a relationship with someone. I'd pity whoever had to put up with him. Then again, who would be insane enough to put up with him? They must be someone desperately, desperately lonely with low standards if they'd be willing to take on Mr Never-Smiles. Besides, he seemed too closed-off and dehumanised to be in a relationship. The idea of him being involved with someone was laughable.

"A few days ago, all I had to worry about was getting into Art school. And now…"

"Is this the part where I give you the pep-talk about harnessing your inner Shadowhunter and accepting your true destiny?" She teased.

"Was that the pep-talk?" Clary guessed.

"Basically." She smiled, but then frowned at Clary's downcast look, "Clary," she moved off the bed towards her, "Remember you were born to do this." She stroked Clary's hair and pressed her hand on her shoulder, "No matter what has happened, this is who you _are_."

"Not exactly feeling that." Clary said quietly. I wished there was something I could do, but this was Shadowhunter business. What good would it do for Clary to get a pep-talk about harnessing her inner Shadowhunter powers from a werewolf? I wouldn't have to start burning marks on my skin in order to fight evil.

"Yet," Izzy said optimistically. Clary took a dep breath and sighed.

"OK, but now we just have to find Dot." She said.

"And track down and kill the most dangerous rogue Shadowhunter in history before he kills us all." Izzy nodded.

"No pressure then," I smiled.

"You really know how to ruin a pep-talk, don't you?" Clary agreed. Izzy smiled at both of us.

"Come on, let's go." She turned towards the door, "Oh, and, Simon is kind of nerd-hot." She laughed, strutting out of the door. Clary rolled her eyes and leaned her head back against the pillar, looking exhausted.

"You alright?" I asked. She sighed, opening her eyes and looking at me.

"I just can't believe all this is happening." I climbed off the bed and walked over to her.

"I know it's hard," I said, "And I know that so much has changed in so little time. But Izzy's right; this is who you are. This world has always been here and you've always been a part of it; it's just that it's become so much clearer now that you're aware of it. You know deep down that everything makes sense."

"No, I know." She said, "It's just, things were so much simpler and easier a few days ago."

"Success is never easy," I said, "And the bigger tasks are always harder, but they're the ones that are worth it. And besides, Simon and I will be with you every step of the way." She gave me a sad smile.

"I know, and you're right. Thank you." She wrapped her arms around me and I gave her a light squeeze.

"Now the only thing that would ruin this pep-talk is if we had to go and spend more time with Shadowhun-oh." She laughed, and I was happy that I could at least make her smile.

We followed Izzy back into the main room and she sauntered over to Jace who was looking hard at one of the large screens. Looking around, I saw Simon in one of the other sections of the room through a glass wall. I nudged Clary and jerked my head over to Simon. She nodded and followed, sliding through the glass door. Simon turned, startled for a moment before his face relaxed.

"Thank God it's you two." We approached him quickly and he handed Clary a dark jacket, similar to his own.

"Let's get out of here," he said quietly as he and Clary threw on their jackets, "Just us three. We can get Dot ourselves."

"Simon," Clary sighed, "There are demons out there, OK? Actual demons with tentacles that wanna murder us. Do you know how to kill a demon?"

I watched as Izzy glided in between us, and we all quietened until she was out of earshot again.

"We're an internet search away." Simon murmured and I rolled my eyes.

"Simon, I really don't think it's that simple." There was a beeping noise behind me and I glanced over my shoulder and watched as Izzy pushed a button on the wall.

"I bet you it's not that hard." One of the wooden panels next to the button extended out of the wall, unveiling an array of weapons. I could see several large blades, odd looking sticks with metal balls on, and a bow with a quiver full of arrows.

"Woah…" I was too mesmerized with the display to notice Jace brushing past me and lightly slapped Izzy's hand as she glided her fingers along one of the blades.

"No, Izzy." Jace chided. Izzy rolled her eyes and continued to stroke the blades anyway.

"Fifty bucks says he doesn't approve this mission."

"I don't approve of this mission." Alec declared, marching towards us and I couldn't stop my eyes from rolling. Izzy smirked, "I spoke with The Clave. They're sending Seely scouts to search for Valentine but they made it clear; the little girl does not leave the premises."

"Hey, my name is not 'little girl', OK?" I felt a punch of pride as Clary did not falter under Alec's stare, "And I don't care what that Clave thing or you want; I'm going to find Dot."

"Alec," Jace said calmly and Alec looked over to him, "This warlock could have the answers we need. And with Valentine's people out there searching for Clary, she's not safe outside alone."

"Jace has a point." Izzy said gently.

"You too, Izzy?" Alec scorned, a look of hurt, betrayal and disbelief in his eyes. Izzy looked down, almost in shame.

"Alright," he said, turning to Clary, "Since you have all the answers, where do you suggest we search?" My hands balled into fists at his rude tone, and the animal inside reared its head, wanting to defend Clary. I glared at him through narrowed eyes, but he was still challenging Clary with his own stare.

"We should start at Dot's apartment in Greenpoint," she decided, glancing at me and moving her fingers up to her necklace – she liked to fiddle with things when she was under pressure, "Uh, there's this thrift store that she-"

Clary suddenly gasped. A distant, faraway look clouded her eyes, as if she wasn't seeing what was in front of her.

"Clary?" I said, suddenly alarmed. Simon moved closer to her, ready to do…something, but as fast as the look was there, it was gone, Clary blinking back into the present.

"What's wrong?" Jace asked, scrutinizing her closely, "What is it?"

"Um," Clary blinked several times, "Weirdly, I think I know where Dot is."

"Great! I'll drive." Simon smiled, producing his car keys proudly from his pocket. Everyone simply stared at him in boredom, "What? Unless you have like a Shadowhunter-mobile or something."

Izzy broke a smile, but after a moment of looking around at everyone, Simon's face suddenly fell as he looked down to the ground at his feet.

"You were kidding about the runes on the floor killing me, right?" He looked quickly at Jace who in turn locked eyes with Alec as if they were somehow exchanging thoughts. Both seemed to smirk at the same time and Jace threw Izzy the same look which she returned.

"Possibly." Jace whispered, clapping Simon's cheek before brushing past him. Alec smirked and followed him, and then Clary moved to follow too.

"Wait, am I gonna die?" Simon asked anxiously. I shook my head smiling and followed behind Izzy who pulled Simon along with her, and although it was all in good humour, I became a little nervous…

No one had actually given Simon an answer.


End file.
